Ryan Reynolds' 2011 Green Lantern was a moment in superhero movie history that very nearly sent the DC Comics side of the genre into hospice. The fact that Reynolds was able to rebound and take his career to new heights is definitely a testament to his talent.
Recently, while promoting his new Apple TV movie Mayday, co-starring Kenneth Branagh, Reynolds shared that he actually views his time making Green Lantern in a favorable light and that he would actually be open to cameo in the new HBO Max series Lanterns, which features Kyle Chandler as a much older Hal Jordan.
"I would totally do a cameo in that. I would love it," said Reynolds.
He continued, "I learned so much making that movie. And I know what you're thinking, 'Oh, you learned what not to do...', in part, yes. But also, anytime you're makin something that large, there are core lessons that come of it. And I owe my entire career to that movie. It was really the foundation of how to make more for less. I think too much time and too much money and really hurt creativity."
Well, the world reached HBO Max and they took things a step further, humorously inserting Reynolds' Hal Jordan into a new social media promo.
The latest ratings indicate Lanterns is a major win for DC Studios. Taking self-reported viewership metrics at face value, this marks the first undeniable, quantifiable victory for James Gunn’s rebooted DC universe.
It's raising the question or the notion that perhaps DC Comics adaptations are just naturally better suited for long-form television instead of the big screen?
Given DC’s rich history of character-driven, sprawling mythologies, previous film adaptations often felt squeezed when confined to the traditional two-hour theatrical runtime, whereas serialized television gives those massive, lore-heavy comic giants the room they actually need to breathe.
Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. Fans will also see Nathan Fillion reprise his role as the abrasive Guy Gardner, connecting Lanterns to his appearance in Superman.
The stellar cast also includes Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, a pivotal character in the local mystery, while Ulrich Thomsen will portray the iconic rogue Sinestro, Hal Jordan's former mentor.
Other key cast members include Garret Dillahunt as the conspiracy-minded William Macon, Jason Ritter as his charming son Billy, and Nicole Ari Parker as John Stewart's mother, Bernadette.
The official synopsis for the series states that the plot centers on a seemingly isolated murder in the American heartland, specifically in Rushville, Nebraska. This local crime will draw the veteran Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his new recruit, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), into deeper, more sinister revelations.
Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) is on board as a co-creator of the HBO drama, putting him right at the center of the show’s creative direction. He’s joined by Chris Mundy (Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun) and Tom King.
Mundy serves as the showrunner for the production while King supplied the initial pitch. Lindelof wrote the pilot and is in charge of overall story development.