The DC Cinematic Universe movie slate has always been a mixed bag. Before the DC Fandome event, there were many movie that were supposedly “in development”. Speaking of which, let’s think about the movies that we are indeed getting.
We have the upcoming Flash movie with Ezra Miller, the Black Adam movie with Dwayne Johnson, and The Suicide Squad movie by James Gunn. Now that’s an awesome slate, but if you’re a DC fan like me, you’re probably wondering why certain characters are missing out. We’ve had Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the big three of DC. However, I speak for many DC fans when I ask where the all mighty heck is our favorite man in green?! Hal Jordan or even John Stewart, no Green Lantern introduced yet in the DCEU?! Now there’s something seriously wrong with this picture.
The only sign of a Green Lantern we’ve had in the DCEU so far is the one we saw in Justice League. He died right away and we saw his ring fly off, but that was the end of that. Needless to say, that wasn’t enough. With all the main DC heroes introduced in the DCEU already, it’s time that Green Lantern got some proper love. Seriously, after that colossal disappointment that was the 2011 Ryan Reynolds movie, he really, really needs it.
Well, just in case anyone forgot, DC was indeed planning on a second attempt at a Green Lantern movie. On the upside, it wasn’t just about Hal Jordan this time. Not another Green Lantern movie, but a Green Lantern Corps movie. Hold the phone, now that sounds exciting. Now on the downside, one of the writers was David S. Goyer, someone who doesn’t exactly have the best track record. When he writes with someone else (like Christopher Nolan), he’s good, but when he’s alone, things don’t work out. Want an example? How about a fairly recent Star Wars movie called Rise of Skywalker? Yeah, not the best resume and that doesn’t exactly get us pumped for Green Lantern Corps.
Back in 2016, it was reported that Goyer would actually be co-writing a script with Justin Rhodes, along with Geoff Johns being the executive producer. So, it turns out Goyer would be writing with someone else and on top of that, the guy who wrote the best Green Lantern stories would be behind it. Then again, Johns was also one of the producers behind the 2011 movie. Maybe he learned his lesson after the first one, but that’s honestly wishful thinking.
However, it was reported that Goyer was writing it as a “Lethal Weapon in space” and that got me more excited. Granted, it was a tad more, but that’s a great pitch. The film was also going to focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart, the first two and greatest Green Lanterns in DC. That’s the smart route to go, rather than try the whole origins story again. The movie was originally slated for a July 24 release date of, guess what year? Here’s a hint: pretty much the worst year ever. Our current, terrible year of 2020.
Well, guess what? It didn’t happen and not because of COVID. It was just basically thrown under the “still in development” table. No real news on its development and no actors or directors attached, it seems the Green Lantern Corps movie will be in limbo for a while.
But don’t lose hope just yet, Green Lantern fans, because the emerald knights are still coming. There’s a Green Lantern show being developed for HBO Max, only we’re not sure yet if it’s connected to the Green Lantern Corps movie. The only indication that it isn’t lies in the star characters of the show. It has Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, and Kilowog. Heck, we’ll even be seeing Sinestro in the show. A great line of characters, but there’s one problem. Well, actually two, because it’s missing Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Now how can you do a Green Lantern show without the two greatest Green Lanterns? I seriously hope they have a plan, because it’s hard to imagine Hal and John out of the picture. However, reports have suggest that Geoff Johns himself is still working on the script for the film. For one, that means Goyer and Rhodes are probably out. Not a huge loss, but still no word on a cast or director. As for Geoff Johns, I hope he has more creative control this time. As I said, he was one of the several producers on the 2011 film and that’s hard to get over. However, he still had a long run with his Green Lantern comic series and he wrote some darn good comics that very much define the character. If you haven’t checked out his Green Lantern series, you’re seriously missing out.
Johns is a good choice to revitalize a reboot. The only thing is, we’re all still waiting for his script. No word about it from DC Fandome, and not a peep from Johns really kills our enthusiasm. Reports still claim that the Green Lantern Corps movie is still a priority for DC, but with the HBO Max show coming, perhaps they plan on sidelining it for a little while longer. Think about this, if the series isn’t including Hal Jordan and John Stewart, it’s possible that DC is saving them for the movie. The show can establish the other Green Lanterns and set up for the Green Lantern Corps movie. This can make way for the first two Green Lanterns to make their big DCEU debut.
I’m going to make a theory and say that the HBO Max show can set up Sinestro’s betrayal of the Corps. The other Green Lanterns will try to convince him to stay true to the Corps, but without Hal and John around, they’d be at a big disadvantage. The end of the series can mark the beginning of Sinestro forming his own Corps and the movie can be basically Sinestro Corps War. If you’re a Green Lantern fan, you need to read that storyline. It’s really one of his best ones. The show will be the building blocks to what can be a big epic space opera with all of the Green Lanterns from the comics. Now that sounds like the Green Lantern movie we need and deserve.
So when will we get the Green Lantern Corps movie? I’m guessing DC is waiting to see how the show will do. If people dig it, the movie will come. It just looks like we have to be patient for a little while longer.
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