[Not So Fast! Seems Green Lantern 2 isn't so certain after all. Details HERE]

Green Lantern has its share of ardent defenders, but it was critically unloved and financially unsuccessful, which is why it came as a bit of a shock that the studio was still considering a sequel - just a week after the film’s release.

That said, it’s somewhat less surprising that they’re planning to go in a completely different direction with the film. Warner Bros. Film Group President Jeff Robinov recently gave an update on Green Lantern 2, as well as The Flash screenplay and their superhero film slate for the next few years.

Check it out Robinov's thoughts below, courtesy of Hero Complex:

"We had a decent opening [of $53 million] so we learned there is an audience. To go forward we need to make it a little edgier and darker with more emphasis on action…. And we have to find a way to balance the time the movie spends in space versus on Earth."

In other words, we have to find a way to make a quality movie.

The hidden sentiment in "we had a decent opening" is "we had a terrible box office performance in the aftermath." According to some reports, Green Lantern cost Warner Bros. north of $300 million dollars. Not only did it perform poorly here in the United States – a final tally of $114 million – it has also performed poorly overseas -- $40 million as of right now.

Alas, $155 million is quite a bit short of $300 million plus.

Green Lantern 2 already has an outline written by the original film’s writers Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, and Marc Guggenheim but, according to multiple anonymous sources, it’s likely that Warner will either make massive changes to it - or totally start-over from scratch.

Green Lantern 2 Will Be Edgy And Dark

Apparently, Warner Bros' executives weren’t exactly pleased with Martin Campbell’s performance in directing the film either. While Campbell is definitely deserving of blame for the film's failure, Warner should’ve known from the beginning that the film might not deliver the kind of character drama that fans were hoping for - since director's best films – Goldeneye, The Mask of Zorro, and Casino Royale – are known for being barebones action films. Enormous CGI-heavy sci-fi epics have never really been his thing.

In the future, Warner needs to hire serious filmmakers with serious visions who seriously want to create a Green Lantern film – much like they did with Christopher Nolan and Batman Begins – instead of constructing a Green Lantern film outline and throwing a previously successful director at it to see if he sticks.

Furthermore, the success of these types of films is less about being dark and edgy, as Robinov claims, and more about taking the project seriously. Not the seriousness of the tone, mind you! Not that kind of seriousness. After all, some of the best superhero films (Superman and Spider-Man 2) are as far away from dark and edgy as it gets, but their filmmakers -- Richard Donner and Sam Raimi -- were seriously committed to making never-before-seen cinematic experiences.

The Flash Film Moving Forward, Has Solid Script

The Flash drawn by Francis Manapul

Robinov also told Hero Complex that, after The Dark Knight Rises in 2012, Warner is moving forward with their other DC superhero properties – including Man of Steel in 2013, a possible Green Lantern 2 later that year or in 2014, followed by The Flash – which has a “solid script” – as well as the Justice League film.

Again, hopefully Warner Bros. hires serious filmmakers this time (auteurs, if you will) to bring their unique visions to the properties. Nobody wants to watch cookie-cutter, studio-crafted, lowest-common-denominator-catering superhero films. Not that we ever did.

What are your feelings about a darker, edgier Green Lantern 2? Let us know in the comments.

The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters July 20th, 2012. Man of Steel hits theaters June 14th, 2013. Stay tuned for more DC superhero film news.

Source: Hero Complex

Follow me on Twitter @benandrewmoore.