Warner Bros.’ first attempt at a Green Lantern film in 2011 didn’t go well, but the studio is giving DCs Emerald Knight another chance in 2020 with a reboot taking place within the DC Cinematic Universe. Aside from the film’s announcement, we know nothing about what to expect from the new film, and the main question on all our minds is, who will wield the power ring? Now we might have the answer, and oddly enough, it may be that the movie will not feature just one construct-creating hero, but several.
Although the reboot is still early in development, anonymous sources have told Collider that rather than aim the spotlight on just one ring slinger, Green Lantern could focus on two or even three of the human emerald heroes - with Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Guy Gardner being the main players. This focus on multiple Lanterns would continue in future franchise installments, making these films more about the Green Lantern Corps than just one Lantern. The article also mentions that it’s possible Warner Bros will introduce at least one of the Green Lanterns next month at San Diego Comic-Con, which ideally would also be the time when they confirm whether one of the Lanterns will appear in the Justice League films.
In the comics, Hal Jordan was the first human recruited by the Green Lantern Corps after he inherited his ring from the dying alien Abin Sur. After Hal was injured in action, Guy Gardner was given the ring and became Earth’s backup Green Lantern. And when Guy was out of commission, John Stewart was chosen as the new replacement. Nowadays, all three of them wield their rings concurrently, though Guy is also pulling double duty as a Red Lantern. Other human Green Lanterns have included Alan Scott (whose ring was not from the Green Lantern Corps, but instead based in magic), Kyle Rayner, Jade and Simon Baz.
From this report, it sounds as though the reboot will eschew the traditional origin story approach that 2011’s Green Lantern had in favor of the Green Lantern mythos being established and Sector 2814 under the protection of Lanterns from Earth. As the article points out, the plan right now is to just focus on the human ring holders, but later on down the line, maybe this could lead to expanded roles for alien Lanterns. The Green Lantern Corps is 7200 strong, so there will be plenty of opportunities in sequels to introduce fellow space cops from other areas of the universe. This is DC’s opportunity to get deep into their cosmic material. As for the men, what could be an interesting approach is if two of the Lanterns have been active for years, and in the film the third is bequeathed their ring and the other guys show him the ropes. That way we have both pros and a newbie.
The Green Lantern reboot will hit theaters on June 19, 2020.
