DC and Warner Brothers have been teasing us with a Green Lantern Corps movie for a while now. There’s a prospective release date, but with no cast and no director, will that ever happen? In case it does, here's five keys you'll want to find.
Numerous sites have an official release date of July 24, 2020, and Geoff Johns - the legend-in-his-own-time comic writer - is said to be producing and writing the script, but that’s it. There’s been no casting news or director announcements. That basically puts the project in limbo.
Summer blockbusters (the good ones, anyway) take time to put together. If DC/WB want to make that July 2020 premiere, then it’s time to get moving. Hopefully it won’t be rushed like so many CGI-dependent movies before it because a rushed GLC won’t be any better than the 2011 Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movie.
Ever since I read Johns’ very mature Green Lantern run from the 2000s, I’ve thought GL would make for great cinema. If done properly, Green Lantern could rival or exceed Guardians of the Galaxy. With the DCEU picking up the pace lately with hits Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam, a quality GLC movie could be a huge boon for the company.
All that being said, it’s time to play a round of comic speculation just in case DC finally gets the lead out and puts this project together.
The word is that Johns wants GLC to be a buddy-cop movie in the tradition of Lethal Weapon. Reportedly, John Stewart would be the rookie while an older Hal Jordan would be his grizzled mentor. This premise makes sense for the Green Lantern Corps; after all, they are space cops. Picking up John Stewart’s first appearance isn’t much of a gamble since he’s the second-most popular Green Lantern next to Hal Jordan. Not only that, but this issue is also the second appearance of Guy Gardner, who first appeared in...
I've written before, and I'll write it again - Guy Gardner could very well be the breakout star of a Green Lantern Corps movie. Mainstream audiences should love him since he’s basically a cross between two of the most popular Guardians of the Galaxy, Rocket and Starlord, but with anger management issues. In the comics, we’ve seen him join the Red Lanterns at one point, and his character has evolved into a true hero. I see the capacity for a scene-stealing role for Guy Gardner, and you’ll want his debut before that time comes.
It’s hard to imagine a GLC movie without Kyle Rayner. He’s the heart and soul of the Lanterns and was the embodiment of the Corps when he was infused with Ion. His backstory of being the one lantern to not only know fear but have the ability to overcome it after his mother died would translate well onto movie screens.
One of the newer faces in the Corps, Jessica Cruz is being thrust into the mainstream lately. She is a featured character in Cartoon Network’s DC Super Hero Girls, and she’s part of this year’s DC animated movie, Justice League Versus the Fatal Five. Clearly, DC wants fans to get acquainted with her, and it would make sense for her to be a prominent character in a GLC movie. On that note, JL #31 has already sold for $125 this year.
FINAL CRISIS: RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS #1
What’s a hero without a villain? It so happens that this villain was created by Johns, so there’s that. The bigger picture is that Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns would help steer the GLC movie away from the 2011 film in the eyes of mainstream audiences by getting away from Paralax and Sinestro. What’s more is that Atrocitus’ sad backstory would translate well to screens and give audiences a villain with a reason to be vengeful. Personally, I hope that if Atrocitus makes it into a movie that he’ll bring the death cat himself, Dex-Starr, along with him.
