By Green Lantern has long been one of, if not my favorite superhero character. Whether it be Hal Jordan, Jon Stewart, Kilowog, or the sentient planet Mogo, the story of intergalactic space cops that are powered by their willpower has been an inspiration for me ever since I discovered them. The absence of any of the 7200+ Green Lanterns in any of the DC Extended Universe films has always felt odd, but maybe for the best with the DCEU’s track record.
Quality of the films aside, there has been a restructuring of the road ahead for the media giant and the persistent rumor was always that Green Lantern would eventually show up, either in the movies or on the silver screen.
Variety has reported that a full ten episode season of a Green Lantern centered show would be coming to the HBO Max streaming service. Episodes will run an hour in length and will feature multiple Green Lanterns, including the hotshot Guy Gardner, the OG Green Lantern Alan Scott, and the two newest Green Lanterns from Earth, Simon Baz, and Jessica Cruz. Kilowog and Sinestro are also said to be supporting characters in the story which should excite long-time fans. Notable exclusions from the list are Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart who are rumored to be held back for use in larger projects.
Now comes the bad news.
Remember that horrendous movie that starred Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan that even he denounces as terrible? Well, one of the writers of that stain on the character is coming back specifically Marc Guggenheim. Call it harsh, but I feel that anyone who was within even sniffing range of that writers room shouldn’t be allowed near anything having to do with the characters again. Sorry, not sorry.
There is at least a shred of hope though in the fact that Seth Grahame-Smith, the screenwriter behind The Lego Batman Movie, and the adaptation of his novel Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is going to be the showrunner. Whether or not he will be able to get the tone right, is a question we’ll have to live with for a while.
Currently, there is no indication as to when the show will hit the streaming service but if I were to have to take a stab at this, I wouldn’t expect it until Mid-2022 at the earliest.
