Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern Character Is Coming Back And Being Recast
Ryan Reynolds isn't coming back to play Green Lantern but it looks like his Hal Jordan character is being recast in the TV series
This article is more than 2 years old
Ryan Reynolds does such a phenomenal job as the Merc with a Mouth (Deadpool, for those unfamiliar with his other monikers) that it is easy to forget he once patrolled the stars as Hal Jordan/ Green Lantern. That movie underperformed, but that just means he was able to move on and knock our socks off with a crazy-good Wade Wilson/Deadpool performance. In 2011, before the superhero craze kicked into high gear, Martin Campbell directed a Ryan Reynolds-led, live-action Green Lantern movie that immediately cemented itself as one the genre’s most disappointing additions. Warner Bros. may have canceled its sequel in 2016, but that didn’t dissuade the studio from eventually giving a Green Lantern television series. We had gotten word about which of the Lantern Corps would be taking part in the show and Hal Jordan had been conspicuously left off the list.
Now, Geekosity brings word that HBO Max’s Green Lantern series will actually lead up to Hal Jordan’s inclusion in the program. Additionally, Geekosity’s founder, Mikey Sutton, revealed that Ryan Reynolds would not be returning to the role and that Hal Jordan would be recast. The report builds from last October’s reveal that HBO Max had officially greenlit a Green Lantern television series, which will begin filming this spring. Additionally, a Peacemaker-focused Suicide Squad spin-off series was also recently announced.
According to Geekosity’s report, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Kilowog, Alan Scott, and Sinestro will be the show’s initial characters. Hal Jordan will supposedly appear at the end of season one and will become a main character should the series do well numbers-wise. Sources apparently told Sutton that the series would blend elements of the popular TV show Heroes and the DC’s Tales of the Green Lantern Corps. Honestly, that sounds awesome even if Ryan Reynolds isn’t part of the story.
In terms of who is forming the show’s crew, here’s a bit of what we know: Seth Grahame-Smith and Marc Guggenheim will co-write and executive produce, which will be interesting considering the fact that Guggenheim helped write that abysmal Green Lantern film discussed earlier. Maybe they’ve learned the lesson of the Ryan Reynolds edition and are ready to cure some of the past mistakes with the character.
It will be interesting to see who ends up taking on the role of Hal Jordan. The Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movie may not have been very good, but that doesn’t for a second mean that Reynolds himself was the problem. Whoever nabs the role has to be on a similar level skill-wise, because the character’s popularity and prevalence in pop culture require it. It will be exciting to see Warner Bros.’s casting decision. Here’s to hoping it is solid.
Despite this news, we may not have seen the end of Ryan Reynolds’s Hal Jordan. He was rumored to appear in Zack Snyder’s hotly anticipated Justice League, but we obviously won’t know that for sure until the film drops on HBO Max on March 18th. Until then, though, stay tuned for any and all updates that may come our way, and keep your eyes peeled for Green Lantern-related casting announcements!
If you are itching to see Ryan Reynolds in a superhero role that isn’t Hal Jordan, give the first two Deadpool flicks another watch. They are both tons of fun and stand as far better reflections of the actor’s skill. A third film is on the way too, this time fully under the Marvel umbrella. Ryan Reynolds may not have lasted as Hal Jordan in the DC Universe, but he is still at the top of the superhero genre.
