Although there have been many superheroes who have entered the Hollywood stratosphere, only a handful have been lucky enough to grasp a core audience dedicated enough to follow whichever path they take. Heroes like Batman and Spider-Man have built a following that may not be rooted in comics but from the impression they give in their movies. Green Lantern was unluckily not one to make that impression.
In 2010, Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern made a return to the comic book world after more than fifteen years of absence. Geoff Johns had revitalized the comics, leading to an upsurge of success that was never expected.The news of a movie being in the works only seemed to garner more excitement.
The Green Lantern fervor died with the release of the Green Lantern film. The DC film was a critical panned, with the brunt of the negativity being put on actor Ryan Reynold’s shoulder. DC fans could not get over the sardonic portrayal of Hal Jordan who in the comics was not as dry-witted as Mr.Reynolds. The actor has always maintained in his defense that he did the best he could with the part, but in the end, the movie just did not work due to a multitude of reasons that also did not involve Ryan Reynolds.
The actor did suffer a huge career setback due to the film, only seeing a revival with 2016’s Deadpool which seemed more in tune with the actor’s personality. Reynolds, however, has not forgotten or has not been made to forget the existence of Green Lantern. In his latest interview with EW the actor discussed Green Lantern saying that the movie “fell victim to the process in Hollywood which is like poster first, release date second, script last.”
Superhero movies and the culture it brings with it have totally changed since Green Lantern’s tenure. With Marvel Cinematic Universe setting the benchmark of a quality movie that still has commercial appeal. The Wrap had previously reported that DCEU was prepping to bring the Green Lantern Corps back into films.
As the scene has changed drastically from what it was five years back, DCEU will hopefully do more justice to the role. Armie Hammer has been rumored to be cast as the new hero but there has been no confirmation so far. Reynolds had said that Warner Bros. studio “just didn’t know what it was,” when the film was made. Hopefully, that will change for the better with the upcoming one.
