Fucking awesome
Ezra Miller has already been confirmed to play the Flash, but we're all not expecting to see him in BvS. We probably won't meet him till the actual Justice League: Part One movie. Rumor has it that that film will end with the arrival of the Green Lantern and he'll bring with him a warning for the villain for Justice League: Part Two. Of course, the rumor mill never stops when it comes to these types of movies. Already, Chris Pine is rumored to be the next live action Hal Jordan.
What am I? Chopped liver??
Pine would be a great choice and he does have the outer space experience from the Star Trek films. He's a great actor that could bring the right amount of cocky arrogance mixed with noble integrity. Basically, Hal Jordan has to be Han Solo.
Any chance Harrison Ford from 1977 is available?
Next to Batman, Green Lantern is my favorite superhero. I got into the comic starting with Geoff John's Green Lantern: Rebirth story and I've loved it ever since. It's not really that I related to Hal Jordan or anything, I just loved the concept and Johns and his team built up an amazing mythology for Green Lantern.
Now there were just Green Lanterns, there are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. They each have different powers and represent different colors of the rainbow. That sounds a little weird, but it's actually well done and well thought out. There are also White and Black Lanterns that represent Life and Death.
That was the problem with the 2011 Green Lantern movie. It tried way too hard to set up the whole Green Lantern mythology instead of building it up. Remember how in the original Star Wars film we're only given little tidbits about the Force and Jedis? That was the best way to go. It's too big a concept to be done in just one movie. That's why Johns spent YEARS building up the Green Lantern Corps and the other Lantern Corps. It's almost too big to put into a trilogy of films. Maybe it should start somewhere else . . .
I will bang this drum till the day I die!
Ok, so I'm getting off track. I do that when I talk about Green Lantern. I love it so much! So who do I think should be Green Lantern? Well . . . it depends where Warner Bros decides to go. Hal Jordan? John Stewart? Guy Gardner? Kyle Rayner? Simon Baz? Jessica Cruz? There are six options to choose from and they all have their place in DC history. Chris Pine is the rumored front runner, presumably for Hal Jordan. He'd be great but I have some other ideas:
LIAM HEMSWORTH AS HAL JORDAN
Yes. Gale. From the Hunger Games. And Thor's brother. That's who I think would be great as Hal Jordan. Why? Well, look at him. He freaking looks like a damn superhero. He would be a great choice. In Hunger Games he had to play a strong, supporting character to Katniss's leadership. There were more than a few scenes where Gale reminded me of Hal Jordan. Gale wasn't a cocky bastard or anything but he was still a courageous leader who fought for what he believed in against all odds. That's Hal Jordan in a nutshell. I'm certain that Hemsworth could pull off an awesome Hal Jordan performance.
SHEMAR MOORE AS JOHN STEWART
Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't come across his name on other blog wish lists for John Stewart. The prevailing (and now debunked) rumor is that David Ramsey's character, John Diggle, on Arrow would be revealed to be Stewart. I was never really a fan of this idea considering that Diggle is such a strong character on Arrow. He doesn't need to be shoehorned into another character. But enough of that. Moore would be fantastic as Green Lantern John Stewart. I'm a huge fan of Criminal Minds and every time I watch the show I think how great it would be if he got to play a superhero. He has a little bit of experience in the superhero world as the voice of Cyborg in Justice League: War and Justice League: Throne of Atlantis. He also played the male lead on the short lived Birds of Prey TV series but the less said about that show, the better. Moore has the right amount of authority and confidence to play John Stewart. John's willpower is often too much for his ring to handle. On Criminal Minds, Morgan is often showed as very level headed and stoic but can cut loose when he wants to. That to me is John Stewart. Mostly, he's a loyal Lantern but if he needs to go off books, he's not afraid to push it.
SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT AS GUY GARDNER
Ever since I got into Green Lantern comics, I've imagined Scott to play Guy Gardner. There was a rumor a few years ago that Jack Black was going to play Green Lantern in a movie written by Robert Smigel.
Smigel created this if that gives you any indication of how that Lantern movie would've turned out
Scott would be perfect as Gardner. My favorite role of his is Wheeler from Role Models. He was quick witted, cocky, but in the end had a good heart. That describes Gardner to a T. I might be in the minority with casting Scott but I think he has yet to be challenged as an actor. He's been given good roles and he's done well with characters like Wheeler and Stiffler. However, I think Gardner would be a great way to give Scott a character type he's familiar with but also challenge him. Guy is immensely complicated, however much he claims to be simple. He loves the attention and glory that comes with being a Green Lantern, but there is so much more to him. It's why, currently, Gardner is the head of the Red Lanterns. He's an anger machine, but found a way to control it and use it to take over the Reds. I definitely see Scott in the role.
DANIEL RADCLIFFE AS KYLE RAYNER
As far as unconventional choices go, this one might be my best. However, if you have seen Radcliffe's body of work post Harry Potter then you know what a talented actor he is. Just like Gardner has joined the Red Lanterns there was a time when Rayner was a Blue Lantern. Rayner was the Green Lantern when there were no more Green Lanterns in the universe. He was the Torch Bearer. He protected the entire galaxy as the only Green Lantern before Hal Jordan returned and brought the Green Lantern Corps back with him. Radcliffe looks like Rayner (always a plus with superhero casting) but he's also a talented actor that can bring the gravitas needed to portray Rayner. His current role in the DCU is of the White Lantern. Basically, he represents Life and protecting Life is his main job. At least it was . . . I'm not actually sure what Kyle's up to nowadays . . . Anyway, Radcliffe would be perfect for Kyle Rayner.
MAHERSHALA ALI AS SIMON BAZ
The likelihood of Simon Baz appearing in a Green Lantern movie is very small. However, finding an ethnic actor to play the part will prove difficult. I had to google like 3 different ways find this nobody! Just kidding (a little)! Ali is probably best known for his role as Remy on House of Cards. There he's proven to be loyal, intense, but with a good heart. He was also in Hunger Games: Mockingjay as Boggs, one of President Coin's most trusted lieutenants. I think he would be a great choice for "the Miracle Worker" Simon Baz. Remy is one of my favorite characters on Cards and I was thrilled to see him in Mockingjay. Baz is a Geoff Johns creation which kind of makes him amazing in his own right. But then again, I'm a die hard Geoff Johns fan. Baz is noted as the "Miracle Worker" among the Green Lanterns because he figured out things that can be done with the Green Lantern ring that had never been done before. Given the popularity of House of Cards I think it's time we give Ali more roles to conquer. I'd love to see him take on Baz, a misunderstood Lebanese-American that is given power he doesn't understand but tries to use to fix the world around him.
NAYA RIVERA AS JESSICA CRUZ
There's a bit of precedent of casting Glee actors as superheroes: Grant Gustin as the Flash and Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. Santana is one of my favorite characters on Glee. Rivera brings a lot of humor to the character but also a lot of vulnerability that she hides under a gruff exterior. Yeah, it's an old, cheesy characterization but it's also very difficult to do well. Jessica Cruz is a woman that's so terrified of the world that she locks herself into her apartment and refuses to leave. This leads the Power Ring ring to find her and exploit her weakness. Power Ring is the Earth 3 version of Green Lantern. Where Lantern is full of willpower and his ring encourages him to be a hero, Power Ring is a coward and the Ring bullies him into being a villain. When Power Ring is killed in battle, the Ring finds Cruz and bullies her into being the new Power Ring. The Flash and the Justice League take her in to protect her and help her learn how to harness the Power Ring for good instead of evil. I think Rivera would make an awesome Jessica Cruz. She's shown that she can play vulnerable, but still be tough. That's vital (and the main requirements) to Cruz's character. Also - Cruz is another Geoff Johns creation. So . . I love her. Also, I love Naya Rivera. Seriously, I want her to be my wife.
These are my picks for a live action Green Lantern. Will it happen? Who knows. I tend to be pretty much not on the money when it comes to these things but maybe WB/DC will hear me out on this one. Either way, I'm looking forward to Green Lantern's next live action appearance.
Till Next Time!
JJ - The Comic Junkie!
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