The DCU has been quiet lately, but a slew of announcements confirm that things are cooking up nicely in the James Gunn-steered ship. One particular property that remained shrouded in mystery was the Green Lantern franchise. Over time, confirmed casting rumors and an announced HBO TV series brought some clarity. But now, we finally have a clear glimpse of what the show will actually look like. 1p2is

The last time fans watched a Green Lantern Corpsmen in live-action, it was the infamous stinker that is the 2011 movie starring Ryan Reynolds. Audiences didn’t receive the film at all well, and Reynolds spent a decade making self-deprecating jokes about the miscalculation. That made it difficult for anyone to figure out how to revive the franchise and DC’s behemoth issues kept Zack Snyder and other creatives too occupied to crack the code. At long last, that’s all in the past now. Gunn is in charge, and while some fans have loudly voiced their distrust, he clearly has an overarching plan.

And, on paper, it looks like he’s outdone himself. According to Vanity Fair, DC has teamed up with some of the best writers behind Lost, Ozark, True Detective, and other shows that became cultural touchstones of the 21st century. It goes without saying that they opted to ground the show on Earth, specifically Nebraska. The already announced Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre will play the most famous Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively.

Fans had long clamored to see Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, and it seems the producers at DC not only listened but agreed. Chris Mundy, best known for creating Ozark and serving as an executive producer on True Detective, had nothing but praise. “Kyle has been so ridiculously good in so many things. He’s also very funny, in a dry-wit way, which is important for the character. He’s going to make us all look really good, basically.” Mundy also described the show as a pulpy detective story that even those unfamiliar with Green Lantern Corps lore can enjoy. The first look had tongues wagging, as expected.

The first look at DC Studios’ ‘LANTERNS’ has been released.

Now in production. pic.twitter.com/30CvhqSQSB

— One Take (@OneTakeNews) February 27, 2025

The image was so subtle that some fans didn’t even notice the green ring on Chandler’s finger. One fan was already ionately declaring that this was not their Green Lantern.

That doesn’t look like Lanterns.

Wheres the Lantern Corps? Wheres Space? Wheres the Lantern Rings?

— SYMBIOTE LEGEND (@SYMBIOTE_LEGEND) February 27, 2025

Another fan voiced the common complaint that the characters look nothing like they do in the comics.

Love the way they don’t look like Hal or John at all

— Adrien (@A_ALeeder) February 27, 2025

Some fans just joked around that Ryan Reynolds has to be jealous of this.

Is @VancityReynolds jealous?

— Colin Craig (@colincraigcrtv) February 27, 2025

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom; some fans genuinely seemed excited by the first-look image.

I'm glad this is a series, and the casting is perfect!

— 🅽🆃🅷🅽🆈 (@MasterOfAnthony) February 27, 2025

Of course, as we can see there are fans who love the mythology. Those who can faithfully recite the Green Lantern oath word for word have understandably been worried that the story is being ruined by how understated the marketing has been so far. Some fear the brand is being cheapened by relegating it to TV. That’s where Lost showrunner Damon Lindelof comes in. Not only has he shared that he’s a fan of Alan Moore’s deep-cut Green Lantern Corps short stories, but he’s also one of the few showrunners to win an Emmy for a comic book TV series. His adaptation of Watchmen — a notoriously tricky source material — earned four Primetime Emmys.

Adding to all that, renowned comic book author Tom King is the brains behind the show. Production has just started, and experts in each area are handling every element. For those worried the show will feel too isolated from the greater DCU, Mundy reassures them that, while the show will focus on its own story, “other characters and aspects of the lore are going to show up or be name-checked.” Besides, at least one Lantern has already appeared in the Superman trailer.

Green Lantern has always been one of my favorite DC properties, and with a lineup like this for HBO’s Lantern, I can barely hide my excitement.

The new teaser trailer for James Gunn’s Superman movie is, frankly, incredible. It hits all the right notes and sets up the new Superman as an emotionally affecting look at a beloved hero, not a misplaced reimagining of an already great recipe. We suspect you just have one burning question.

What’s up with Green Lantern‘s hairdo?

Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern character appears to have been given the interesting fashion choice of a haircut that looks like Lord Farquaad watched the original Star Trek series and decided he really wanted to look like Spock.

While it is a close approximation to a haircut that this Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, sported in some of his comic book appearances from the 80s, it’s definitely something that many internet citizens will likely feel the director could have left on the cutting room floor, so to speak.

I’m not going to lie; I am actually here for it. Every superhero being too much on the polished side and overly modernized rapidly becomes boring, and Gardner’s character has always been interesting because of who he is and how he reacts to the world around him, not because of how he looks. His bowl cut is a trademark look, and it would be a shame to lose it when that is unnecessary.

Famously antagonistic, Gardner is the type of guy who would love to take a shot at Superman, so watching him march aggressively toward the Man of Steel in the trailer perfectly sets the tone for the type of role he is likely to play in the story, which tends to be a thorn in the side of almost everyone around him, good guys and bad.

Based on the trailer, I am perfectly happy to let the Superman team cook and see what they have in store for us, as they might weave a story that wins us all over. Personally, I never really fell in love with the Synderverse and found the attempted exploration of a man removed from humanity to be a little shallow and undermined by early story choices. I am already finding a bit more heartfelt honesty in Gunn’s project, based on the teaser trailer alone.

Maybe it is age talking, but no actor has yet to top Reeves and his portrayal of both Superman and Clark Kent for me, although we do get small hints that David Corenswet’s Clark will manage to separate himself from his Superman persona in a tangible way. When running through a crowd, he awkwardly tries to move around the uncaring masses despite being a head taller than them, and his gait as he runs is slightly awkward without being goofy, hinting at similar subtle body language that Reeves used to create his version of Clark Kent.

All in all, there are enough signs in the trailer to let us know that Gunn and crew are heading in the right direction, and that includes Gardner’s bowl cut, even if none of us will be running to the barber to emulate it any time soon.

With James Gunn at the helm of the DCU, several of the old regime have shared their desire to come back for more, however, there’s one of them who has absolutely no desire to dive into DC ever again, and we can’t really blame them.

In November of 2022, Gunn and Peter Safran became the co-bosses of DC Films marking a huge change in the franchise’s future and slate of films. This meant that almost everyone who had been a part of the previous films would not be coming back, at least not in the same roles.

During the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, Gunn revealed that he had approached former DC star Ryan Reynolds to the DCU — as a joke, and the reaction from the former Green Lantern was exactly what you’d expect.

“Ryan doesn’t give a sh*t. One of the first people I talked to after getting the job was Ryan Reynolds. I’m like, ‘You coming back">Image via Warner Bros.

Right now more than 10 years later, the movie has a terrible 25% reviewer score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience rating that’s only slightly better at 45%. Time has not been kind to this film, but there is a glimmer of hope for fans of the comic character.

Green Lantern is coming back to the DCU, but it just won’t be with Reynolds in the role. Lanterns is a new series set to be released in the future that will introduce the Green Lantern comic characters to the DCU. There have already been three Green Lantern Corps cast and they will be played by Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, and Nathan Fillion. Hopefully with Gunn at the helm and a new story to tell, we can finally get the Green Lantern adaption we deserve.

If you’ve never seen the 2011 Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds and want to make up your own opinion then you can stream the movie on Amazon Video or Apple TV now.

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David Corenswet’s Superman, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen.

Indeed, ever since James Gunn began spearheading preparations for the incoming DC Universe, we’ve been treated to casting win after casting win, and with still a bit of time to go before this brave new world even airs its first morsel in Creature Commandos, we’ve only scratched the surface thus far.

And beneath this surface is an absolute depth of talent that will be co-leading the in-development Lanterns series as John Stewart. Indeed, per Variety, say hello to the DCU’s final Green Lantern; Aaron Pierre.

“Inspired” doesn’t even begin to encapsulate the nuances of this casting. Anyone fortunate enough to have peeped the Netflix thriller film Rebel Ridge knows exactly how well we viewers are going to eat when Lanterns rolls up on Max, with Pierre having bossed that film’s leading roll with star-making gravitas and profound emotional dexterity.

But it doesn’t end there, either. Pierre’s turn in Rebel Ridge boasts some overlap with his Lanterns character, as John Stewart and Terry Richmond both hail from the ranks of the United States Marine Corps. Realistically, of course, the way Pierre will approach Stewart will only marginally reflect his approach to Richmond, but an Easter Egg is an Eater Egg, and at the end of the day, who’s to say Rebel Ridge didn’t meaningfully prepare him for John Stewart?

Whatever the case, fans are well and truly bewaring the power of this casting, as we all should be.

As for the others who will be donning the Green Lantern garb in the DCU, we know Nathan Fillion is filling the shoes of Guy Gardner, who will have a part to play in Gunn’s Superman next year. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan, who will Pierre’s John Stewart as the other of Lanterns‘ co-leads, will be played by Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame.

Plot details on Lanterns remain scarce, but we know that the show will take place on Earth and feature a detective-like story that will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a mystery (more Rebel Ridge coding, oh my). Chris Mundy will serve as showrunner, with Tom King and Damon Lindelof ing him on writing duties. According to Gunn’s DCU co-chair Peter Safran, Lanterns will lead into the main, overarching storyline of the “Gods and Monsters” chapter of the continuity.

Apart from Lanterns, the DCU’s other television endeavors for Chapter One of the universe include the second season of James Gunn’s critically-acclaimed Peacemaker series, the Amanda Waller-centric spinoff Waller, the Themyscira-set political drama Paradise Lost, and “outright comedy” series Booster Gold.

On top of all of this, we will also get the animated Creature Commandos miniseries that’s due out on Max on Dec. 5, running for seven episodes until the series finale on January 16, 2025. An animated Blue Beetle series, complete with Xolo Maridueña reprising the lead role from the 2023 DC Extended Universe film, is also in development.

As for feature films, Superman (due out on July 11, 2025) will be ed by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in 2026. Also in the works are The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, James Mangold’s Swamp Thing, an untitled Teen Titans movie, and a team-up between villains Bane and Deathstroke.

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Josh Brolin is bona fide comic book movie royalty. The 56-year-old actor — who made a name for himself in the 1980s with roles in the likes of The Goonies (1985), Thrashin’ (1986), Finish Line (1989), and television’s Private Eye and The Young Riders — is a veteran of the superhero genre.

His superhero credits include Jonah Hex (2010), in which he played the eponymous character, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), in which he played Thanos, and Deadpool 2 (2018), in which he played Cable. Most recently, he reprised his role as Thanos in two episodes of Marvel Studios’ animated series What If…?

He’s been linked to a role in James Gunn’s DC Universe recently, in HBO’s Lanterns, a television show focusing on DC Comics’ longstanding and incredibly popular Green Lantern Corps. Specifically, Brolin has been touted to play an older version of prominent Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan — a character previously played by his Deadpool 2 co-star Ryan Reynolds in 2011’s much-maligned Green Lantern movie. Interestingly, it was a prospect many fans weren’t keen on for some reason (Brolin would have been superb in the role, by the way).

However, that won’t be happening — something that will likely irk Reynolds, who would have loved to see his pal play a character he’d previously portrayed — as Brolin confirmed in a recent interview with ComicBook.com.

What happened regarding Josh Brolin and Lanterns? c534u

While discussing his role alongside Peter Dinklage in the new action comedy movie Brothers, Brolin revealed that he had been in discussions with DC to play Jordan, but the exciting casting ultimately isn’t happening.

Brolin said, “You know what? Green Lantern didn’t work out, but that’s okay.” The actor then addressed the fact that Kyle Chandler is set to take on the role of Jordan, saying, “It’s working out. Who is it going to be, Kyle Chandler? I love him as an actor, I think he’s wonderful, actually. And, you know, we’ll see what’s down the line, man.”

That last line should excite us all because it teasingly leaves the door open for Brolin to play someone else in James Gunn’s DC Universe, which is a massively exciting possibility. It will undoubtedly create speculation about which hero or villain he could portray (we know he can nail both) — and should Brolin land a role in the DCU, it’ll make him one of the most prolific superhero actors ever.

Brolin’s current confirmed projects include the aforementioned Brothers on Oct. 10, Wake Up Dead Man, the mystery movie sequel to Knives Out in 2025, and the epic horror movie Weapons in 2026. You should be excited about them all because they look fantastic.

Despite delivering Marvel the highest-grossing superhero movie of 2024, DC fans aren’t keen on letting Ryan Reynolds live down his woeful stint as the Green Lantern.

Reynolds himself isn’t above poking fun at his time as Hal Jordan, but it looks like the aftermath of the box office bomb still lives on over a decade later. As James Gunn progresses with his plan to revamp the DCU, filling the roles of the Green Lantern has hit quite a few bumps in the road. To put it lightly, the Green Lantern has become somewhat of a live-action pariah.

The Green Lantern dilemma 2h696x

Jeff “The InSneider” Sneider has continuously fed the public information concerning the attempts to revive the Green Lantern for live adaptations. Ewan McGregor, Matthew McConaughey, and Josh Brolin have been tied to the role, with Kyle Chandler emerging as the incoming Hal Jordan. While these casting choices and decisions have garnered mixed reviews, it’s the latest Sneider info that has fans staring daggers at Reynolds once again.

Among the announced projects for the Gods and Monsters chapter of Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is Lanterns. In June, it was confirmed that Lanterns received the green light, and will be the first live-action series in the new DCU. The show will have eight episodes and will air on HBO. 

Casting for the multiple versions of the Green Lantern has been rumored to be difficult, in part because of the “complicated legacy” of the character, to which Reynolds largely contributed. Allegedly, five major stars were invited to play Hal Jordan in the DCU but outrightly refused, especially following Reynolds’ failed attempt in 2011. Now, in the years since the movie, it has been noted by quite a few people that Green Lantern’s failure wasn’t a one-off, and Reynolds is actually not that great of an actor. While that take remains subjective, his poor acting in at least one movie is leaving ripple effects years down the line. 

The people vs. Ryan Reynolds 6y5761

In Hollywood, being typecast is not necessarily a bad thing. Actors like Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, and even Jesse Eisenberg have been noted for their similar roles in multiple projects, and continue to bring in major bank. However, these actors haven’t been blamed for the outright collapse of Green Lantern adaptations. That’s where Reynolds comes in. Some people believe that his constant referencing of the movie’s failure is an attempt to misdirect fans from his “one-note” acting style. 

While Reynolds is indeed a major movie star, his acting isn’t exactly revered. Evidently, the success of the Deadpool franchise is carried by the actor’s signature wit and sense of humor, but these qualities are blatantly present in the bulk of his other projects. Between the romantic-comedy The Proposal, the action-comedies Free Guy and The Adam Project, and his role as the Merc with a Mouth, you’re not exactly getting a ton of range. And that’s not a bad thing per se — it’s just enough for fans to blame you for ruining their chances of a successful live adaptation of one of the most iconic Justice League .

The rebooted DCU was shaping up so nicely. On top of lots of positive buzz surrounding filming on Superman earlier this year, the first two projects released under the DC Studios banner have earned almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores — The Penguin and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. I say was, however, as the newborn franchise has already hit a controversy, as it’s looking like we know exactly what’s going to happen to a beloved DC icon.

Thirteen years on from Ryan Reynolds’ one-man attempt to torpedo the brand forever, the Green Lantern mythos is returning to live-action, as Max TV series Lanterns is finally making headway. The show will see John Stewart and Hal Jordan team up to solve an Earth-based mystery, and while we’re still waiting to see who could play Stewart, our new Hal has been found in the form of Friday Night Lights legend Kyle Chandler.

At 59, Chandler is much older than fans had expected for a character who is typically a founding member of the Justice League, and it seems we can now deduce why that is. Green Lantern lovers, I’m sorry for your loss.

Kyle Chandler’s Green Lantern reportedly won’t will his way onto the big screen 3q5f1i

After rumors that the likes of Josh Brolin, Ewan McGregor, and Chris Pine were being considered for the part, Kyle Chandler was announced to be in talks to play Hal in Lanterns. The Hollywood Reporter broke the story, confirming that the older-than-anticipated Hal Jordan will be depicted as the reluctant mentor to the rookie John Stewart, to be portrayed by a “young, fresh-faced actor.”

In other words, anyone hoping for Hal Jordan to be the face of the Green Lantern Corps going forward in the DCU will be left disappointed. THR‘s Borys Kit has since confirmed on X that “Chandler does not have a movie component to his deal” with DC Studios. So don’t expect him to turn up in Superman and its subsequent sequels.

Superhero franchises are famous for locking their stars into multi-project deals, so the fact that Chandler has no movie appearances ahead of him speaks volumes. Before a frame of the show has been shot, DC detectives think they’ve already worked out exactly how Lanterns will end. The prevailing theory goes that Jordan will be killed off in season 1, once he’s taught Stewart the tricks of the trade, and it’s John who will go on to be the Justice League’s resident Green Lantern.

“So he is gonna die… it’s that simple,” replied one X . “I had a feeling they were going after such big, older actors because they’re not going to keep him around. He’s probably going to die partway through if I had to guess lol,” another theorized. As you can guess, most aren’t taking this at all well: “They’re going to retire or kill Hal in the first DCU project. Green Lantern fans continue to lose.”

But, hey, there’s always next time, right? Even if some of us might be Chandler’s age ourselves by that point. “Well.. RIP Hal Jordan. Guess I’ll be on my 60s when another reboot coming around. Talk about missed opportunities,” someone else lamented.

While it would be tragic if Hal is such a minor player in the DCU, after years of waiting to see him return to the screen, let’s not overlook the importance of John Stewart finally getting his dues in live-action — one of DC’s most prominent Black heroes and a character who many grew up with in animated form thanks to the Justice League cartoon. Chandler may be older, and he might not last long, but he has the look and charm to make for the best Hal Jordan we’ve yet had. Not that that’s saying all that much.

This is not a drill — James Gunn looks to be casting his Green Lantern at last. It’s been 13 years since the Emerald Knight last appeared in live-action, and while Ryan Reynolds’ infamous film was apparently enough to kill the franchise on the big screen forever at least the Green Lantern Corps are coming back in Max series, Lanterns. But who will play the most famous Lantern of them all, Hal Jordan?

That is what we’re all waiting to find out as a raft of names have emerged to be in the running. And… Honestly, they have to be seen to be believed. The DC side of the internet went into meltdown when it came out that Josh Brolin of all people was supposed to be the top choice for the role. Now we’re learning that, allegedly, two more names have been tapped to take the part if Brolin turns it down. Somehow, though, they may even be more out-there than the idea of Thanos wielding a Power Ring.

Jeff “The InSneider” Sneider is claiming that both Ewan McGregor and Matthew McConaughey are the runner-up choices for Hal should Brolin back out. Let’s allow that to sink in for a moment. That’s Obi-Wan Kenobi himself and the guy who voiced Cowboypool in Deadpool & Wolverine as Green Lantern. Do we know if James Gunn is OK or has he been possessed by Parallax?

Unsurprisingly, the internet has a range of reactions to these left-field picks. Some are actually here for McGregor’s Hal, but not so much McConaughey.

McConaughey as a villain, though? We can see it.

Brolin? McGregor? McConaughey? It’s enough to make people nostalgic for 2011. To quote Thanos, perhaps we treated you too harshly, Ryan…

Others, meanwhile, are fully on board for either of these fellas and are demanding Brolin “take one for the team” and left them have at it.

Maybe having McConaughey cast would be worth it just to hear his unique take on the Green Lantern oath.

All of this Lanterns casting info should be taken as rumor fodder for the moment, but it could be telling if McGregor is in the running for Hal, considering the Star Wars icon was already in the DCEU as Black Mask in Birds of Prey. If he got the role, then, this would make him the third SnyderVerse star to be recast in Gunn’s DCU, following The Suicide Squad and Superman actors Sean Gunn and Nathan Fillion. And maybe McConaughey got a taste for comic book projects after his cameo in Deadpool 3?

Obviously, all three actors are pushing 60, which is causing countless complaints from fans. It should be noted, though, that Lanterns is expected to be a buddy cop-style show, with Hal as the grizzled older Lantern and likely John Stewart as a younger rookie recruit — so anyone worrying that the series will suffer from a lack of youth should relax. In brightest day, in blackest night, maybe fans should just cool their fight. Let those who tweet out every slight, beware Gunn’s power… To cast Green Lantern right.

2024 is the year of Marvel movie stars making unexpected comic book cinema comebacks. On the very same weekend that cameo-factory Deadpool & Wolverine released, Robert Downey Jr. was announced to be returning for Avengers: Doomsday as Doctor Doom. Ironically, this might have inspired Downey’s old on-screen nemesis to pull a reverse RDJ by going from villain to hero instead of hero to villain.

The latest theoretical flour to spring from the rumor mill claims that James Gunn has found the lead of his series Lanterns in the form of the Avengers’ greatest villain. Nexus Point News is reporting that Thanos himself Josh Brolin has been offered the role of Hal Jordan in the TV reboot of the Green Lantern mythos. If this did turn out to be true, it’d mean that Brolin would be the first actor to play Jordan in live-action since Ryan Reynolds — his Deadpool 2 co-star.

Despite being extremely far from confirmed at this time, news of Brolin potentially wielding a green Power Ring is going viral, thanks to the unlikelihood of the Mad Titan switching it up to play the Emerald Knight. And everyone seems to have the exact same opinion on the possible casting: why is Hal Jordan old now?

Some folks are getting so angry they’ll be ing Sinestro’s evil Yellow Lanterns next.

Even Brolin fan club aren’t convinced this is the right choice.

“There is no way this is true,” some are maintaining. And maybe they’re right, but this is a guy who has already starred in six superhero movies across three different franchises, don’t forget.

What with Batman confirmed to be middle-aged in The Brave and the Bold, some are wondering why James Gunn is planning on casting all DC’s heroes as 50-somethings.

A sneak peak at James Gunn’s geriatric Justice League?

On the other hand, at least some out there aren’t so ageist and are interested in the idea of the DCU having some older heroes. “Not everyone has to be 32,” one chided.

Perhaps it’s Brolin’s naturally craggier face that’s to blame here, but it’s curious that the Dune: Part Two star is getting flak for his age when he’s actually younger than Downey — Brolin is 56 years old, while RDJ is 59. That means that when Downey last played Iron Man, he was 54, only two years younger than Brolin, who’s supposedly too old to be a Green Lantern. Maybe DC fans just have longer memories than Marvel lovers and are still not over the trauma of the last time Brolin made a DC project — 2011’s woeful western Jonah Hex.

Not to mention that Brolin was close to playing Zack Snyder’s Batman before Ben Affleck got the part. To paraphrase the actor’s Marvel role, DC couldn’t live with their failure. And where did that bring them? Back to him.

How has DC managed to drop the ball so much with an IP as rich and ripe with potential as Green Lantern? Following 2011’s Ryan Reynolds-starring flop, Warner Bros. never managed to get another version of the GL Corps on our screens, but not for lack of trying. Thankfully, after movies and TV shows helmed by everyone from Christopher McQuarrie to Seth Grahame-Smith came and went, James Gunn is finally giving us a Lanterns TV series, on its way to Max, as part of his shiny, new DCU.

Not much is known about the show to date, but we know it will focus on legendary Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart. It’s anyone’s guess who could replace Reynolds as Jordan, but one fan-favorite contender has thrown their name into the ring to play Stewart. Here’s the thing, though: if Marvel wants to unleash its inner Sinestro and steal a sneaky win from its rebooted rival, then the MCU should swoop in and cast this guy as its own answer to Green Lantern. Namely, Nova.

Aldis Hodge wants to be James Gunn’s Green Lantern, but he should be the MCU’s instead 6mb6a

Yes, Black Adam star Aldis Hodge is unlikely to get the chance to reprise his role as Hawkman again, as Dwayne Johnson’s corner of the defunct DCEU will definitely not be folded into Gunn’s plans, but he has made it known that he’s very up for playing Stewart instead. While speaking to ComicBook.com, Hodge reminded us that he’s been portraying the part in animation for years now, voicing the character since 2022’s Green Lantern: Beware My Power movie. So to hop over to live-action would be a literal dream come true. “I mean, that was one of my dreams growing up was to be John Stewart in live action. So yeah,” he itted.

Unfortunately for Hodge, Gunn seems to be averse to doubling up on those already playing DC heroes in animation. For example, Hodge’s co-star in the animated Tomorrowverse, Meg Donnelly, came close to landing the live-action Supergirl but ultimately lost out to Milly Alcock. So maybe the star should be open to switching multiverses and helping Marvel out with its most plagued streaming project. The hook? Nova would basically be the MCU’s own Green Lantern.

Richard Rider’s origins, as a regular human who is chosen by the Nova Force and becomes a cosmic policeman, is pretty much beat for beat a match for DC’s GL. Unfortunately, the Green Lantern curse seems to have spread to Marvel, too, as a Nova project has been on the back-burner at the House of Ideas for years now. Rumors abound that there’s either a miniseries or special stuck in development hell. Maybe Hodge could be the one to help it finally break free and onto Disney Plus.

Hodge might be mostly a DC boy, but this is the guy who started a campaign to play Black Panther way back in 2012. Something tells me he wouldn’t take too much tempting to come over to the Marvel side. Kevin Feige, do us all a favor and give this man a (power) ring.

As Superman: Legacy draws nearer and nearer to going before cameras — production is set to begin this spring — the DCU is shaping up nicely.

And yet, with relatively lesser-known faces/TV stars like David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan leading the charge so far, it’s worth noting that James Gunn’s fresh franchise is lacking any major A-listers at present. But maybe Tom Cruise could help change that.

In a surprising move, Cruise is returning to Warner Bros. for the first time since 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow to make “original and franchise films” for the studio. Although he’ll still be working with Universal and Paramount, Cruise has signed a non-exclusive deal with WB Discovery to both generate some new mega-hits and help bolster its various flagging franchises. So naturally superhero fans are thinking only one thing: does this mean Cruise is on his way to the DCU?

Cruise’s near-miss Iron Man casting with Marvel is legendary, but let’s not forget that this is the guy who heaped praise on The Flash last year, so he’s definitely a secret DC fan too. With the DCU a completely open toybox at present, there are so many potential places for Cruise to appear. And yet James Gunn would be wise to listen to what the fandom has wanted for years now and give it to them — albeit with a bit of a twist.

Tom Cruise needs to fulfill the DC fandom’s dreams and become a Green Lantern 502t2l

For the longest time, Tom Cruise has been at the top of DC fans’ lists for who they want to see play Hal Jordan in a Ryan Reynolds-less reboot of Green Lantern. This fancast took root back when Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie was circling such a project, with Cruise naturally rumored to be his top choice of leading man. Even long after this version of the film was parked, though, Cruise has stuck around in people’s thoughts to play an older, more experienced Hal.

An older, experienced Hal is probably what we’re going to get in Gunn’s DCU too, but the thing is Cruise is extremely unlikely to play that role. Why? Because the Green Lantern reboot, titled Lanterns, is set to be a streaming TV series headed to Max and not a movie. As we all know, Tom Cruise loves two things, movies and popcorn, so it’s practically a mission: impossible to expect him to make the jump to the small-screen.

Luckily, though, there are many other Green Lanterns out there in the DC universe, and Gunn is clearly keen to bring them to life as well. Just look at how Nathan Fillion is playing Guy Gardner in Superman: Legacy. The exciting thing about Gunn’s plans is that he looks to be celebrating all of DC history all at once, with Corenswet’s Man of Steel being introduced into a world where superheroes already exist. So, theoretically, there’s room for Cruise to play the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott.

Scott is the perfect role for Cruise as hiring him to embody a veteran superhero would be a great bit of meta-casting, reflecting how he’s an old-school movie star ing the torch to the younger generation of today. Such a casting would even build on the way Gunn worked with Sylvester Stallone in Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad. As for where this casting could happen, we could always get a Justice Society film, building off the team’s cinematic debut in Black Adam?

There’s one more element that would make Cruise’s casting as Alan Scott additionally noteworthy: in recent years, DC Comics has seen Scott come out as gay. Gunn’s franchise could ignore this, as it was a somewhat controversial development and it isn’t a traditional part of the character, however it would be more interesting if Scott’s sexuality was explored in the movies. Cruise has never played an openly gay character in any of his films to date, so portraying Scott would be pretty… brave and bold of him.

Or, you know, Gunn could cast him as Batman and watch the internet explode.

Based on the standards he set himself over the last dozen years, it’s been a suspiciously long time since Ryan Reynolds poked fun at Green Lantern, so we were well overdue.

Returning to familiar territory for the umpteenth time, the actor’s infamous one-and-done stint as Hal Jordan has been taken to task yet again, and this time he’s even roped in a former Scarlet Speedster to take what could easily be construed as a thinly-veiled shot at The Flash as well.

As he tends to do, Reynolds has used his marketing savvy to place both DC productions in the firing line, recruiting Grant Gustin to play fictional Chief Performance Officer Seymour Roas in a new promo for MNTN, which does at least manage to hold off on the superhero references for a good 10 seconds or so.

In addition to the obligatory winks and nods towards Gustin’s lengthy tenure as a pillar of the Arrowverse, things get as blatant as possible when Reynolds tells his opposite number “you’ll always be my Barry.” Not one to take things lying down, “Mr. Roas” then responds by telling Reynolds he’ll “always be my Hal,” checking off the shot fired at Green Lantern.

“That hurts, Seymour” is all the Deadpool headliner can muster to such a biting comeback, and then it’s all over. Even by Reynolds’ ongoing MO, shilling one of his many extracurricular endeavors, prodding the misfortunes of Warner Bros.’ $200 million misfire, and acknowledging his own costumed calamity in the space of just 41 seconds is quite the achievement.