They could tell an origin story about Kyle Rayner, a Mexican-American comic book artist who took up the mantle in the 1990s. Let's just hope if they include girlfriend Alex DeWitt, they can avoid any-and-all refrigerators. They can capitalize on the popularity of the Justice League cartoons from 2001-2006 and focus on John Stewart, an African-American former-Marine who also debuted in the 1990s as an occasional replacement for Hal Jordan (Anthony Mackie or Roger R. Cross spring to mind). You've also got Guy Gardner, the 1960s mainstay who was changed in the 1980s into a somewhat stereotypical 'macho American' archetype. Or, if they really wanted to be a little daring, they could do a 1940s period piece, a prequel of sorts, starring the very first Green Lantern, Alan Scott. Point being, the series is not 'Hal Jordan or bust'. They can even keep Reynolds around in a supporting role and/or extended cameo, and they can hold off the whole 'Sinestro goes rogue' storyline until it's damn-well earned (we'll ignore the first film's credit-cookie).
Audiences didn't respond to Green Lantern because it didn't look like a good movie, plain and simple. That it really wasn't all that good didn't help, and precipitated the post-opening weekend plunges that put the film in danger of killing off the entire DC Comics brand. But if Warner is dead-set on trying another Green Lantern film (as opposed to trying out The Flash or god forbid Wonder Woman first), they don't need to scrap Martin Campbell's first film. Let that one merely stand as the origin story of Hal Jordan, and the origin story of the whole Green Lantern mythos. By merely choosing to focus on a different ring-bearer, the studios have the freedom to make a whole new movie, in whatever fashion they please, without negating the previous picture and all the continuity that it took pains to establish. So, who would you pick for the various Green Lanterns? Who would you like to see as John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner, or Alan Scott?
Scott Mendelson
You're going to be bombarded by comments from people who believe removing Hal Jordan and replacing him (particularly with John Stewart) is tantamount to Affirmative Action and the devaluing of the white heterosexual male hegemony.
ReplyDeleteI only wish I had that many readers to get slammed on such a grand scale...
ReplyDeleteScott, I think you've misinterpreted the release regarding the information. The only thing they've said is that the Green Lantern 2 will be more dark and edgy and that Martin Campbell will not be brought back. I have nowhere seen that Ryan Reynolds, Mark Strong, etc. are being scrapped and they are thinking of starting over.
ReplyDeletePlain and simple. Green Lantern 2, starring Ryan Reynolds, darker edgier, new director. "Green Lantern 2: We'll Make It If Superman Does Really Well!"
Starting from scratch is indeed being discussed, a bad idea that should be countered even if it's merely among several options.
ReplyDeleteEarth isn't cool yo. Green Lantern flies around space doing crazy shit. Green Lantern 2 must be intergalactic Saving Private Ryan. Assemble team of Green Lanterns and they must defeat Sinestro and his corps. Or go even crazier and put in some Naruto themes. Hal Jordan will not kill Sinestro, he believes Sinestro has been fooled and messed up in the brain (why else would he put on the ring for no particular reason at the end??). There is still a chance to get him normal and back to his friend and ally. They must help Sinestro. Traveling to planet to planet, ending off in a crazy world exploding battle (like when Goku fought Frieza, I like anime). Throw in duel between Hal and Sinestro where their rings die on them and they fight to a draw due to fatigue like in (Gundam Wing). (Tangent: movies must stop jacking from other movies, they must jack from other places. Nike don't look at other shoes when they create a shoe, they look at yachts and art and whatever). Earth is no cool, no need for bad cgi raccoon mask, no need for human b-characters, they wanted to make it Star Wars? Then go make it Star Wars. Also, all green suit is stupid, throw some blackness in there.
ReplyDeleteYou know the part of that announcement that was really depressing (aside from the even universally recognized as complete crap films get sequels now part) was the whole "dark and edgy" thing. So now we'll get dark and edgy crap.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, I'd take any of the others, since Jordan always left me cold (excepting Emerald Dawn, which basically Marvel-ized him, by making him a drunk driver). I think that the best way to go is Rayner, since if they took a page from the comics they can just start with him having no idea what happened, and we can be brought up to speed later on what happened AFTER GL#1 - have Reynolds show up as Parallax in a later installment, etc. That way, they get dark, they also get low-budget (no GLC w/ Rayner & only 1 Guardian)... But I've got to split with you - I think in order to differentiate from how things work in superhero *MOVIE ADAPTATIONS* they should keep Women-In-Refrigerators. Can't go much darker than that, if that's what they really intend.
ReplyDeletePS: John Stewart first showed up in the 60's not 90's.
ReplyDeleteHeh. Well, I did post a link to this on a few comic book message boards....
ReplyDeleteThe problem with the idea your proposing is that it makes too much f*cking sense. Thomas Lennon said, when he was talking about his new book about screenwriting for Hollywood, that you (the screenwriter) are the contractor and the executives are the client and when they want seven toilets in their bathroom, you find the best possible way to give them seven toilets.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem with the 1st movie was Hal Jordan's personality. He needed to have more "heart", like Captain America. Dark and edgy is not the tone to take with Green Lantern.
ReplyDeleteA loose (and perhaps recast) sequel starting Hal is the most likely option, and probably the most marketable as well. As WB Films head Jeff Robinov said: "We had a decent opening so we learned there is an audience”.
ReplyDeleteChanging lead characters (everything is the same! but different...somehow!) is the kind of illusion-of-change stuff comic fans just plain adore. But that's not how films work. We'll never see a film about 007.1, or the son of King Arthur, or the love child of Lois Lane and Clark Kent. It's no surprise that the Green Lantern comics that proved so successful as to generate a feature film are based primarily on the conflict between Hal Jordan and Sinestro - will power vs. fear.
That's the iconography of the concept. That's not only where the sequel has to go, it's what the first film *should* have been.