Green Lantern has traditionally been a fixture of sorts as it relates to The Justice League. If you google some images under the words ‘Justice League’ you will see Batman, Superman, and others standing alongside Green Lantern. So when the DC slate of movies had been announced it was a safe assumption by most that Green Lantern would share the big screen with his Super Friends in both installments of the Justice League. Time went by and Batman v Superman had been filmed and although names like Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman had popped up we never heard about Green Lantern. Even though a Green Lantern Corp film had been announced for 2020 we still didn't hear about actors or possible cameos. Just recently though Entertainment Weekly had done a piece on Batman v Superman where Charles Roven had mentioned that we may not see The Green Lantern Corp until the second Justice League film at the earliest. The Green Lantern faithful along with fellow DC fans may have been a bit perturbed by Roven’s comments but I’m going to go the other way on this one.
Before I give my reasons I would first like to shoot down the giant elephant in the room that is the 2011 disaster of a Green Lantern film. I don’t prescribe to the train of thought that Warner Brothers is too timid to put Green Lantern back out there because of that film back in 2011. That train of thought doesn't mesh with the reality that Warners is now going for it by giving us a whole slate of movies over a five year span. If Ryan Reynolds was able to rise from the green ashes and deliver the moon shot success that is Deadpool, then we shouldn't be assuming that no one can resurrect Green Lantern. I just think that's a lazy reason to be quite honest. For those who truly believe it's too hard of a task to bring back a character from a previous flop I invite you to check out Daredevil on Netflix.
With all that being said, I’m Ok with them holding back on The Green Lantern Corp’s inclusion into the DC Cinematic Universe. I’m not saying that this was their initial intentions, but I think it's a smart card to hold onto for later on down the road. Let's play a fun hypothetical game here and imagine that Batman v Superman is an absolute smashing success! As the extra DC movies begin to roll out and obtain the same sort of success some people will start to get emotionally invested in some of these new characters all the while the Green Lantern Corp can continue to lie in the weeds. With DC at this hypothetical point are almost like a runaway train you then send the fan boys into a frenzy and introduce the Green Lantern Corp as it could almost be like a shot of adrenaline to the fan base. Imagine a Comic Con scene where after they discuss an upcoming DC film they show a quick clip that sports a Green Lantern Corp logo. They call that generating buzz.
It is also important to keep in mind that Batman v Superman was pushed back from 2015 to 2106 which is mentioned in Entertainment Weekly stating something to the effect of that it allowed them more time to figure out a proper introduction for all of these new characters. With that in mind I continue to think it's a smart decision to keep Green Lantern away for a bit in an effort to not over stimulate the crowds seeing Batman v Superman. When you figure you’ll have (starring or cameos) Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg you'd have to think that introducing the Green Lantern Corp on top of all of that could be almost having too many ingredients in the pot. Why waste your rounds when one or two shots will do right? Some might then ask how come we can suggest DC shouldn't have too many characters while Marvel is doing what they’re doing now and the simple answer is that Marvel has an incredible body of work while DC is still really in its fast track infancy.
Holding back on this also allows DC to do something that they don’t really have too much of a luxury of doing with some of their other characters and that is to build up hype around a character within the movies. Wonder Woman is in Batman v Superman. You’ve seen her and you know that she will be there. Warners is basically telling you that this is Wonder Woman and we’ll explain everything along the way. Which is fine by the way but with Green Lantern Corp you can get a little more creative with how you introduce this character and I don’t mean Marvels trademark post credit scenes. Maybe with a subtle mention of Hal Jordon’s name or maybe even a Green Streak across the sky. Just to let fans know that they’re on the way in some fashion and help prepare a little bit of momentum for these characters eventual arrival. You generate enough buzz around this character through the success of these films no one is about stop stop and ask about the Ryan Reynolds film. No one. Their first thoughts will be how will the Green Lantern Corp work alongside these other Justice League characters you've already now come to know. Even if you watch the Animated Movie 'Justice League War' you'll get a very good idea of the potential his existence could have as far as on screen dialogue between him and Batman.
The need or want to get this character on the big screen is extremely understandable but what is also understandable is that like most things in life if you have the opportunity to take a little extra time in executing something it could very likely lead to better results. Warner Brothers holding back the reigns to produce a fail proof plan only increases their odds for success. You have the possibility here to make this almost like DC’s answer to Guardians of the Galaxy but likely in a more grounded tone. With that sort of boom potential in mind I commend Warner Brothers for waiting on The Green Lantern Corp.
Well thought out rationale as to why WB should wait to debut Green Lantern. There really is no rush, and by delaying it, the anticipation is really going to grow. Never play all of your cards at once, and this is the right strategy that Warners is taking!
ReplyDeleteNice blog... Keep up the great work! --Tim