With the casting ofKyle Chandleras the Green Lantern Hal Jordanfor DC Studios and HBO’supcomingLanternsseries, we couldn’t be more excited about what is in store for the soon-to-be rebooted DC Universe franchise. Chandler is an inspired casting call, to be sure, andthe way the series has previously been describedbyJames Gunn— as “an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU” — only leaves us anxious for more. But there’s one thing that DC has to do to get Hal Jordan right this time around, something that theRyan Reynolds-ledGreen Lanternwas unable to convey: it has to remember that Hal is a man of pure conviction. Here’s what we mean.
HBO’s ‘Lanterns’ Has the Potential To Make Hal Jordan the Best Green Lantern
To say that DC Studios needs to take the Green Lantern property seriously in order for it to work is an understatement.2011’sGreen Lanterntoo often made the uniqueness of its world and the Green Lantern Corps into a jokerather than a cold reality of Hal Jordan’s story. Sure, jokes can work when appropriate, but consideringLanternshas thus far been compared toTrue Detective, it means those involved need to take the character (and his story) more seriously. One must remember that the Green Lantern Corps themselves are basically just space cops, and ifLanternsis indeed to be a cop drama or detective story, then it should play into those genre conventions. With as solid an actor as Kyle Chandler involved, hopefully that won’t be too much of an issue.
McDonald’s Might Be the Reason Why We Never Got a Third Tim Burton Batman Movie
He wasn’t lovin' it.
But beyond just the show’s need to take itself seriously, there’s an earnestness to Hal Jordan that doesn’t often get seen in multimedia portrayals of the character. More often, he’s played for comic relief without fully utilizing his skillset as a space lawman. There’s a reason thatHal is consideredthe greatest of all the Green Lantern Corps, and that’s because he has the willpower to keep fighting for what’s right, no matter what others think of him. His genuine sincerity when it comes to being a hero is vital to the character, and while, yes, he does have an occasional sense of humor, he isn’t just this cocky fighter pilot who just does what he wants. That’s a poor interpretation of Hal Jordan, and that’s something we hopeLanternswill rectify.
Throughout DC Comics lore, and especially inGeoff Johns' decade-long run in particular, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern has been able to tackle every odd. He went from being one of the most hated individuals in the universe on account of his prior moral failings as Parallax (somethingLanternsdoesnotneed to explore), to being one of themost important figures in the entire DC chronology. Hal redeemed himself, and, as a result, he was further positioned as the Green Lantern Corps' most skilled and effective operative, even if he played outside the Guardians' rules. WithLanterns,DC Studios has the opportunity to show us this part of Hal Jordanand could erase any previous misgivings audiences had about the character after Ryan Reynolds' time with the ring.
Other Versions of Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern Have Been Hit or Miss
Generally speaking, most of the interpretations of Hal Jordan we’ve seen have been fairly mixed. There are occasional bright spots, of course, such asJosh Keaton’s portrayal inthe highly underratedGreen Lantern: The Animated Series,Nathan Fillion’s in many of the DC Animated Original Movies, andChristopher Meloni’s inGreen Lantern: First Flight, but Ryan Reynolds' version just sticks out like a sore thumb.Reynolds focused far too much on the humorous aspects of Hal Jordan that any sincerity the character had was lost to sarcasm and poorly-framed jokes. It’s hard to say if that wasthe vision of directorMartin Campbellor Reynolds' very specific brand of action-comedy getting in the way, but, in either case, there were only brief moments when the Hal Jordan that comic fans longed to see on the big-screen actually shone through.
Say What You Will About the DCEU, Zack Snyder Got This Right About Batman
Zack Snyder and Ben Affleck knew how to bring the Dark Knight from page to screen.
Along with Kyle Chandler’s casting as Hal Jordan, we know thatNathan Fillion has been cast as the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern, set to appear in2025’sSuperman. Fillion had previously voiced Hal Jordan well in animation. However, the productions he appeared in never gave Hal the chance to shine either, often resorting to the same insincere behavior we found in the Ryan Reynolds film. ButHal Jordan is an earnest member of the Green Lantern Corps who takes his vow with pure conviction, and, ifLanternswants to recuse itself of any connection to the 2011 film, it will take that vow seriously, too.
