Sam Worthington, the actor in Avatar, says he declined the Green Lantern movie role because the superhero’s backstory made no sense to him. Green Lantern is one of the legendary DC Comics characters that have yet to enjoy a really successful run in live-action, despite many other characters have received their due. The Green Lantern movie, directed by Martin Campbell and starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, was said to represent the beginning of a DC cinematic world. However, the DC movie not only bombed at the box office but also in the critics’ eyes.
Although Reynolds was chosen to play the Emerald Knight in the end, it seems Worthington was almost given the role of Hal Jordan in Green Lantern. The Avatar star revealed how he genuinely turned down the Green Lantern offer in a recent interview with Variety. It wasn’t because of scheduling issues; rather, it was because he didn’t comprehend the mythos around the hero. Worthington stated that none of the justifications for the ring or power set were able to persuade him to accept the role. He shared the following:
It didn’t make much sense to me — the suit comes out of his skin? And I was like, ‘He’s got this powerful ring that can create anything. Well, what can beat the ring?’ The answer was nothing. I was like, ‘Well, something needs to beat it, or it won’t be very interesting.’ They had the ring on the table and were like, ‘put it on,’” Worthington remembers. “But I’m like, ‘it’s not real, is it?’ It was very bizarre.
What Will Happen To Green Lantern In Live Action Next?
Warner Bros. has been putting Reynolds’ Green Lantern movie franchise on hold for years since it never took off following its 2011 premiere. The Green Lantern core wasn’t even there when the DC Universe (formerly known as the DCEU) debuted; it wasn’t until Justice League with an appearance by one of the more senior Emerald Knights. In October 2014, it was revealed that a Green Lantern Corps movie was in the works. It will center on Hal and John Stewart, with the former serving as the mentor to the latter. However, that project has been indefinitely postponed.
Green Lantern is truly being brought to life as a television series by HBO Max. Greg Berlanti, the creator of the Arrowverse and its executive producer, has been associated with a TV series based on enduring heroes since 2019. The original plan for the project was to follow several characters throughout various time periods. The Green Lantern program would star Alan Scott, Guy Gardner, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, Sinestro, Kilowog, and a brand-new character named Bree Juara. HBO Max, on the other hand, revealed earlier this year that Green Lantern is being revamped to instead center on John, with Berlanti still scheduled to executive produce.
James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios, asserts that Green Lantern is significant for the DC Universe (DCU), however, he hasn’t said how the HBO Max program would relate to the franchise or if it will stand alone. Time will tell how the Green Lantern mythos will be handled in the live-action version, as Gunn and Safran have not yet revealed what is happening with the DC Universe. Since they haven’t yet introduced any of the key Green Lanterns actors, the DCU appears to be on the verge of a reboot, which wouldn’t have any bearing on Green Lantern in the movie world. Hopefully, as the year 2022 draws to close, future episodes of Green Lantern on television and in movies will reveal his fate.