Screen Rant » green lantern

‘Green Lantern’ Director on Special FX & New Set Location

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:54:30 +0000

Last time we checked in on the progress of The Green Lantern the shoot had pulled out from down under in Sydney, Australia (thanks to inflating costs of production) and was looking for a new locale in which to conduct its principal shoot, which WAS set to begin in January.

Now, thanks to The Geek Files, we have updates from director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), letting us know where the Green Lantern shoot has moved to and what kind of challenges they’re facing in bringing the intergalactic adventures of the emerald warrior to the big screen.

First up, you should know that previously rumored shooting locations like Mexico and Canada have been revealed as just that – rumor. Green Lantern has in fact come on home to the U.S. of A. and tapped the city of New Orleans as the location for its principal shoot, which is now set to being in April, 2010.

That’s not just good news for those who have been wishing for Hollywood to stop outsourcing the movie making process, it’s also good news for residents of New Orleans, as the Green Lantern was reportedly set to create approx 500 jobs for crew members and workers in Sydney. Though it’s not certain, I’m betting a similar number of workers will still be needed for the New Orleans shoot…

Next, Campbell discusses the challenges of making a superhero movie that not only takes place here on planet Earth, but also contains a huge intergalactic component, complete with various alien races, worlds – and oh yeah, all those f/x needed to bring conjurings of the Lanterns’ emerald power rings to life onscreen:

“It’s daunting. Just the process, something like 1,300 visual effects shots, it’s mind-blowing, quite honestly…[The ring is] energised by a battery on the planet of Oa, which taps into the willpower of everyone in the universe…From that ring you can form constructs. So if you got into a fight, you could form a giant fist. Or a fighter plane.”

“He’s the only superhero to my knowledge who regularly goes to another planet. Superman and Batman were essentially locked into a particular city. The Lantern isn’t so Earthbound.”

Having a superhero who isn’t “Earthbound” makes for an expensive motion picture – probably why Warner Bros. is throwing $200 million at the project to make sure Green Lantern gets done right. No doubt DCE/WB is hoping to do for their second-tier hero what Marvel was able to do for Iron Man, i.e., turn GL into a household name and a smash-hit movie franchise property.

Snagging popular leading man Ryan Reynolds to play Green Lantern was a good first move, though the open casting call for movie’s many yet-to-be-filled supporting roles still has fans like yours truly waiting on the opinion fence to see if the necessary players will be put in place to give this film a shot at greatness. Remember, Iron Man came out of the gate boasting a killer cast, instilling a sense of cofindence in the project before the first frame was ever viewed by the masses…

Are you happy that Green Lantern is shooting in New Orleans? And what do you think about the massive f/x demands the movie is facing? Can Martin Campbell pull it off – will Green Lantern become the next Iron Man?

The Green Lantern starts shooting in April, 2010 (as stated), and is still slated for a June 17, 2011 release.

Source: Empire Online

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The Next X-Men Films Part Two: Deadpool, Magneto

Rob Keyes — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:57:38 +0000

A few days back, we put up part one of “The Next X-Men Films” series, our look into the future of Fox Studio’s growing and financially successful movie series based on Marvel’s mighty mutants. This was based on quotes from Empire’s recent feature on Lauren Shuler Donner, producer of all films X-Men related, and today we’ll look at the other two anticipated films she spoke about.

In Part One we discussed Wolverine 2, the most-likely-to-happen solo flick out of Fox’s development slate as well as X-Men: First Class, the prequel to Bryan Singer’s first X-Men which is currently in its writing stages with Josh Schwartz penning the script.

Now, it’s time to look at two other popular character solo movies that are in early stages of development: Deadpool and X-Men Origins: Magneto. One of these is likely to happen, one may not.

After the financial success of Wolverine’s solo prequel, we saw a quick greenlight for the Deadpool film and knew there’d be a Wolverine 2 down the road. Prior to this, X-Men: First Class, a team prequel to Bryan Singer’s first X-Men was already in the works. So, we all knew those were the three go-to projects for Fox Studios to come the soonest. What I never felt sure about was X-Men Origins: Magneto, since it would involve a recast of title character and wouldn’t tie-in too much with the franchise. That and the fact it would be based heavily during the holocaust made it less bankable as a superhero flick and more limited in playing with other popular mutants of the X-Men universe, especially compared to the other potential films they could create with those resources.

Deadpool

The first thing Donner said about the hopeful Ryan Reynolds starrer, Deadpool, is that it won’t be based on the messed up version of what we saw in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. By that, she means Fox and/or the folks responsible for Hugh Jackman’s solo title admittedly did a poor job of bring Deadpool to live-action.

“I want to ignore the version of Deadpool that we saw in Wolverine and just start over again. Reboot it. Because this guy talks, obviously, and to muzzle him would be insane.”

Yeap. Almost as insane as giving the character lasers that shoot from his eyes or swords longer than his forearm that come out of his arm…

Not the Deadpool we like

The one big issue that came not long after hype for the Deadpool project started to build was the unexpected announcement that Ryan Reynolds would be starring as Hal Jordan in the DC Comics movie, Green Lantern. Why would Warner Brothers choose the lead of an upcoming Marvel-based movie as the lead in their upcoming DC-based movie? More importantly for fans, does this mean he can only do one or the other?

“I don’t see it as a problem that Ryan [Reynolds] is also playing Green Lantern. I mean, look at Harrison Ford – he was in Stars Wars and Indiana Jones at the same time and everyone was fine with that. Green Lantern could not be more different to Wade Wilson. Green Lantern is a guy who finds a ring and is thrust into this world, much like Spider-Man. Wade Wilson is a guy who unfortunately gets cancer, and volunteers for a test that will give him healing powers. He is a bad ass, a wise-cracking mercenary, who will go out and kill anyone for money. But the thing about him is that, underneath it all, and he wouldn’t want you to know this, sometimes he’s not such a bad ass after all. Sometimes he does the right thing.”

As a fan of Reynolds and of his portrayal of Wade Wilson (pre-surgery) from X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I want to see them make a Deadpool flick, especially with Donner, Reynolds and Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld making statements that the project will stay true to the comics, bring his red & black costume, break the fourth wall and bring a ton of attention to why he’s called the “Merc with the mouth.”

With that said, what kind of style and story can we expect from a Deadpool film?

“It’s going to be a dark, snarky, very funny movie. It’s the hardest story to tell, I think. There’s no clear cut villain – though you do have great baddies from the comic-books like Black Tom, Slayback, Blind Al and the Weasel. Blind Al is this blind woman in his house, who he abuses and mocks… it’s terrible. But you find out that she was a convict who did something terrible and he saved her from execution. So he lets her live in his house and she looks after him, but they both torture each other. Anyway, there are good stories and we’re figuring out which ones to incorporate.”

Lastly, Donner touched on where they are in pre-production for the flick and re-iterates that they’re really trying to push new boundaries in the comic book movie genre with this project.

“We’re right in the thick of talking to writers right now, and hopefully by November we’ll have decided who’s going to do it. We need someone really imaginative because we want to do some really innovative, ambitious stuff. Ryan’s mentioned this in an interview already but there are parts where he’s going to break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in the cinema. We have to work out how to do that. I don’t know that Fox will agree with all our decisions, but we’ll see!”

Unfortunately, she ended with the statement about Fox’s approval. Uh oh. Maybe we won’t see any fourth wall breakage and maybe they won’t have Deadpool wearing his mask after all. For once, I think fans need to see the folks responsible for production of the film to have more creative control. I’d love to see what the Donner, Reynolds and the writing team come up with if given complete creative freedom.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Click to continue reading about X-Men Origins: Magneto and more!

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Jackie Earle Haley Responds to Sinestro Rumors

Paul Young — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:42:36 +0000

Yesterday, Harry Knowles-it-all let fly with an early morning update at Ain’t It Cool News that Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen, A Nightmare on Elm Street) had snagged the role of Sinestro in Warner Bros upcoming Green Lantern movie. The same source of the Sinestro “scoop” also said that a Superman cameo would be in the film. It was that Superman information that made me a little weary of believing the rumor in its entirety.

Well, Steve (not a Wendy’s) “Frosty” Weintraub tracked down Haley at the 2009 Scream Awards and got a red carpet interview with him that you can watch here. It was a great line of questioning from Weintraub and Haley seemed just as shocked as anyone else to hear the news. He even goes so far to say:

“I just heard that myself down there, I’m not confirming anything.”

Haley also denied rumors that he screen tested for Green Lantern and when Weintraub directly asks him if he was in film or if it would be a possibility he responded with:

“You guys [movie-blogs] are out in front of it and I don’t know anything about it yet. If something comes up I’ll let you know.”

So, according to Jackie Earle Haley, it’s not true (yet). Now, of course Haley could just be playing everything down due to contractual issues and wants to throw the blog hounds off the scent but I’m thinking he’s being honest. He is a great actor and I very much enjoy his work but he just seems to be of a smaller stature for the role of Sinestro. Looking at Haley standing next to Ryan Reynolds would look as odd as Katie Holmes standing next to Tom Cruise.

The Green Lantern movie is based on the long time DC comic character of the same name, and is being directed by Martin Campbell and stars Ryan Reynolds – the only CONFIRMED actor attached to the project. So, I guess we will have to wait a bit longer to find out who will be joining Reynolds in the big budget action film.

What do you think about this potentially rumor-squashing news involving Sinestro and Green Lantern? Think it’s all just smoke and mirrors misdirection or is Jackie Earle Haley being sincere?

Green Lantern will open summer of 2011.

Source: Collider

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Freddy Rorschach Kruger To Play Sinestro?

Paul Young — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:54:02 +0000

Grinding on the rumor mill… Harry over at Ain’t It Cool News is always popping up with some interesting rumors that, more often than not, prove to be true. Last time it was setting the story straight on the next Rambo movie and this time he’s going one better and calling the name of the person Green Lantern director Martin Campbell may be choosing to put on the yellow suit and purple make-up as Sinestro – none other than Jackie Earle Haley!

A few weeks back, Screen Rant’s Kofi Outlaw ran an article fantasy casting Sinestro and based on the feedback from our readers, Hugo Weaving was the favorite. Well, if you ever needed proof that Hollywood rarely pays attention to fans then this would be it. I trolled back through the comments and nowhere did anyone mention Jackie Earle Haley as a possible choice, oddly enough Dakota Fanning and Eric McCormack both made the list though.

Remember, even though Harry is saying his source is “pretty reliable“, he is filing this news under rumor so if it doesn’t turn out to be the case (which would very much surprise me) then all the “tweeting”, emailing, and blogging will have been for naught and we’ll be back in a holding pattern.

It is slightly puzzling that just yesterday we got wind of Warner Bros pulling the Green Lantern production out of Australia due to economic reasons and now we catch a sniff of casting rumors. But maybe it isn’t that puzzling because casting calls were held just a couple of weeks ago and it would be right about now that decisions would start being made on who will play who.

Another rumor Harry got from the same source, audiences may very well see a cameo from Superman in the Green Lantern. This last statement is what has me thinking the whole thing could be snipe hunt. We talked about it last year, but a lot has happened to Supes since then. Brandon Routh’s contract expired; DC lost the rights to Superman’s origins and then announced they had no plans to move forward with a new Superman movie. This makes it difficult to throw in a Clark Kent cameo (rumored last year) if they haven’t figured out who will play the Man of Steel for the next movie.

So, unless the cameo consists only of a name drop or showing Superman from the back, I don’t see what actor they have right now to make the appearance. Either way, it sure does makes for interesting blog-fodder and if it turns out to be true, then I’m sure fanboys across the nation and the world will want to weigh in on the casting choice.

What do you think of the possibility of Jackie Earle Haley playing Sinestro and Superman making a cameo appearance in the Green Lantern movie?

Green Lantern is slated for a summer 2011 release.

Source: Aint It Cool News

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Green Lantern Pulling Out from Down Under

Paul Young — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:31:12 +0000

The title really isn’t as dirty as it sounds. Recently, Warner Bros Pictures announced they were pulling production of DC Comic’s Green Lantern starring Ryan “Deadpool” Reynolds from Australia because of the faltering U.S. dollar. With the way the Australian dollar is performing compared to the US dollar and the financial gurus predicting it to climb to even or higher in the coming months, Warner Bros will be reconsidering all of its shoots there.

In a press statement released through Screen NSW, Warner Bros Studios had this to say about the situation:

“The current global economic situation, including fluctuations in currency valuation and overall costs. We have also had to reassess film projects in other countries as well. After working closely with our partners at the NSW Film and Television Office (Screen NSW) and examining every scenario, we have decided to move the production of ‘Green Lantern.’ We are extremely grateful for the assistance we have received from the NSW Government, Fox Studios and the NSW filmmaking community,”

As it stands now, Green Lantern was already in trouble once over its super-sized budget and the economic condition abroad could add a purported $20 million to that number. That’s bad news for Australia, though, because there already a number of films shooting there including the third installment of The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader and two animated full-length features are being produced there including Happy Feet 2.

It’s not a total loss for the Australian movie industry though, as Spike Jonze filmed Where the Wild Things Are there this past year in Victoria and I’m sure that brought in a hefty sum to their local economy. Rumors floating around say that Green Lantern, which was to start production in November, could move to either Mexico or Canada. I’m sure Reynolds wouldn’t mind visiting his home country of Canada to shoot the movie.

I’ve got to ask, though: what is with all the studios filming overseas when their own local economies are suffering? California is supposedly the home to Hollywood movies, and the state is in such a financial mess right now that I’m sure a few studios pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy there would surely help.

I realize there are all sorts of incentives and tax breaks to film abroad but really, is it that much cheaper to fly a cast and crew of over one hundred people halfway across the world to work in a soundstage they have in their own backyard? At least Red Dawn producers are filming in Detroit, Michigan and bringing in some cash flow to a very struggling local economy.

Do we have some Australian readers that would like to chime in on this situation and possibly wave their Foster-size dollar in our faces? Where do you think Green Lantern will film and does it really matter? So far this hasn’t had a negative impact on the released date but time will tell.

Green Lantern is supposed to release summer 2011.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

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‘The Flash’ Development Slows Down Just A Bit [Updated]

Rob Keyes — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:05:52 +0000

[Update: Dan Mazeau, the current screenwriter behind The Flash has sent a message to IGN clarifying that there are no delays/development issues - that everything is going according to plan and looking great for the fans - Read it here]

With the Green Lantern film moving full steam head, scheduled to start production next year, what about the other DC comic book character films? There will undoubtedly be a third Batman sooner or later, but what about The Flash?

At San Diego Comic-Con this summer, comic book and screen writer Geoff Johns was tight-lipped and held back on revealing any details on his script treatment for the flick so we didn’t have too much to go on with the status of the project until now.

IGN recently spoke with Charles Roven, a producer on The Dark Knight, and apparently the future of The Flash is a little unclear at the moment – as is, Roven’s involvement…

In the interview, Roven explains that he was involved but that he was removed from the project because the The Flash was speeding in the direction Warner Brothers had in mind.

“I was involved at one point with The Flash… And Warner Bros. came to me and said, ‘The work that you’ve been doing hasn’t yet resulted in something that any of us, including the filmmaking team, feel could be greenlit as a movie. We’re trying to accomplish something that takes into account the entire, rich DC character world, and we’d like to pull it back. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to be a part of it. We just want to take a different kind of approach. Do you mind if we try that?’ If we had something that was really working…”

Well, we at least know that The Flash is part of DC Entertainment’s game plan. By “rich DC character world,” does WB mean that they want more characters involved, possibly crossing over with their other in-development projects like Green Lantern? Roven continued,

“Like, for example, they had something that was more or less working for them on Green Lantern, and now you have Martin Campbell directing it…But we didn’t. The David Goyer screenplay, that didn’t work. Goyer left the project. We then embarked with David Dobkin, trying to come up with another approach. We hadn’t even hired a writer at that point. So for us, we completely understood. I’ve been making movies with Warner Bros. for 15 years, so that was fine, but I hope one day there’s a way for me to get re-involved in the project. “

It’s not a nice development history and that worries me about the final product. Hopefully, when things are back on track, we don’t get something rushed and unpolished.

I’d like to see more DC live-action flicks come out to compete with the onslaught of features by Marvel Studios and Fox Studios, and like those two studios’ franchises of film, I’d like to see the DC solo character titles cross-over leading to some team-up event.

What do you want from The Flash movie and DC Entertainment’s line-up?

– More as we hear it, at ScreenRant.com.

Source: IGN

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James McTeigue Talks Superman & Magneto

Rob Keyes — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:24:47 +0000

At the end of July, Robert Sanchez at IESB broke the news that Warner Brothers were looking at James McTeigue to possibly direct a new Superman feature film that would act as a franchise reboot.

A few weeks later, McTeigue sat with MTV and while not confirming or denying any involvement, he did relay his idea of a reboot for Superman should he land the gig. His plan would take the Man of Steel in a different direction and skip through the overdone origins of Clark growing up into the hero we know him as.

Things were looking good for our favorite Kryptonian, up until Diane Nelson, the head of the newly formed DC Entertainment, explained that they do not have another Superman film as part of their current plans.

Was she just saying that just in case they don’t sort out their legal troubles with the heirs to the Superman creators and lose the rights to many of the original aspects of the character? Are they really not planning another Superman movie?

Obviously, they’re thinking about it with the production start deadline approaching in 2011. And it’s sure thing, WB will do everything in their power to get it all sorted out and regain full control of their poster boy character.

With DC Entertainment potentially set to launch an interconnected DC film universe of their own, starting with Green Lantern, to compete with that of Marvel Studios (and even of Fox’s X-Universe), they’re going to need their #1 hero.

If it does go forward, I think McTeigue and the Wachowskis (rumored to produce) would make for an interesting team to helm the project. On the topic of McTeigue and his ideas, Alex Billington at First Showing had a chance to chat with the Ninja Assassin director and they touched on the Superman project and his ideas for it.

“I think I would be interested in doing it if they let me do it the way I wanted to do it. I would say that, if you take the Richard Donner Supermans and the last Superman [from Bryan Singer], I think that Superman is probably ripe for a bit of a change up. I think society has changed around the core idea of what Superman was.”

“And I’m not saying you do the ubiquitous dark Superman, I’m not saying that… I’m just saying that I think there are some things that you could excise from the Superman mythology that people would get into it, if you took the world that he was in and changed that a bit, and maybe even project that into the future a bit. I think you don’t really have to play into the origin story anymore. I think there’s a whole bunch of things you could do to make that film more alive and exciting again.”

I’m glad he quickly tossed down this whole “dark superman” thing, as did Brandon Routh back when he was still likely to return. We don’t need that, we just need a new and fresh take on the character sans Lex Luthor and the history of the Kent family.

Click to continue reading about Superman: Man of Steel and that pesky Magneto rumor…

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The Green Lantern Casting Call Details

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:07:05 +0000

Who will answer The Green Lantern’s Call?

You an actor? Wanna snag a part in the upcoming blockbuster adaptation of The Green Lantern? Well, thanks to Spoiler TV we have the casting call sheet for Green Lantern, featuring details on which roles DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. have yet to fill and what attributes they’re looking for in the actors they want for the parts.

Are you their type? Is there a major role in Green Lantern just waiting for you to come along and fill it? You’ll have to check the call sheet to know for sure…

Green Lantern – Official Casting Call and Plot Details

[CAROL FERRIS]
26-32, a smart and attractive woman with an MBA. She started as a pilot and now runs Ferris Aircraft. She is a work-a-holic…FEMALE LEAD

[DR. HECTOR HAMMOND]
27-35, Character actor who is austere and impersonal, he is real “scummy.” He is a pathologist and also the son of a Senator.

[SINESTRO]
Mid-30s to Mid-40s, he is smart, tough, intimidating and in great physical shape.

[ABIN SUR]
Mid-30s to mid-40s, he is a great warrior.

Now some of you snooty thespians might be turning your nose up at the thought of playing “bit parts” like Carol Ferris or Dr. Hector Hammond – but you shouldn’t. Carol Ferris is of course the lady who hires (and falls for) test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) for the faithful flight that brings Jordan face to face with Abin Sur, the dying alien who bestows Jordan with the emerald power ring that transforms him into Green Lantern. And did I mention that in later installments of the comic books (and perhaps the film franchise) Carol Ferris becomes the supervillain Star Sapphire? So jump on this role if you can, young actress – It may turn out to be something major down the line.

The Actress who starts off as Carol Ferris could end up as Star Sapphire

As for Hector Hammond – another role that may seem small in this first Green Lantern film (hence the call for a “Character actor”) – in later installments of the comics (and maybe the films) Hammond becomes a significant nemesis of Green Lantern, a mutated genius with telepathic and telekinetic abilities. I can already tell you that Hammond’s origin has been significantly altered for the film (a “Senator’s son?”), but still, a more expanded role for Hammond could still be in the cards for the actor who snags the part.

As for Abin Sur… Sorry, Mr. Actor Guy, you’re pretty much looking at one dramatic death scene and that’s it (if the comic book is anything to judge by – see post header). Of course we already answered the question of who should play Sinestro: is there really anybody better than Hugo Weaving? (Click to see a photo of Weaving as Sinestro)

What do you think about the casting details of Green Lantern? Are those character descriptions and required age ranges fitting? Or did you envision something totally different?

The Green Lantern is set to light up theaters on June 17, 2011. It’s being helmed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale).

Source: Spoiler TV

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DC Entertainment: What’s The Game Plan?

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:19:13 +0000

Yesterday we found out that Warner Bros. has created DC Entertainment Inc. (DCE) to better expand the DC Comics into a multimedia brand of steel . Now comes the inevitable question of “What’s the game plan?”

MTV Splash Page posted a nice piece declaring which DC properties should be put on fast-track under the DCE banner, and this being Friday and all, I thought I’d once again do a little call-and-response on the topic (I now consider Splash Page’s Josh Wigler to be something of a pen-pal).

So in response to the call, here’s my take on the DC Entertainment venture and what paths it should be considering…

BIGGER PICTURE BUSINESS

DC Entertainment Inc. President Diane Nelson has already been grilled by the press and thick-skinned exec has been pretty forthright with her opinions. As she told The Wrap earlier this week:

“…I’m the first one to admit, I’m not by my nature a comic fan. It’s not what I’m bringing to the party. We have so many experts who will remain the cornerstone of DC Entertainment. What I bring to the party is a skill at moving properties and brands through Time Warner as a company… additionally it will be about how invested our content distribution is in the DC library. If our businesses feel that they have greater access and enthusiasm for new characters to incubate.”

Now some people are going to read that quote and worry that Time Warner is going to “corporatize” (read: taint) their favorite DC properties. I’m going to keep in mind that Nelson is the same lady who helped transform Harry Potter from a lucrative book franchise into a multimedia/merchandising empire, loved by both Potter devotees and newcomers who just know the films. Nelson understands how to take what is at the resonating core of a character and/or story and fit it into the bigger profit picture.

For DC Superheroes, I suspect Nelson aims to give us more Dark Knight quality films and Arkham Asylum video games (read: ventures which transform the core appeal of the properties into commercial appeal), and fewer Catwoman disasters (read: failed ventures that tarnish both the core and commercial viability of the properties). And I see no reason at this point why she’d fail at the task.

DOING THINGS THE MARVEL WAY

No, I don’t want DC Entertainment to try to be the second coming of Marvel Studios, however, the latter did set an interesting precedent by linking all their Avengers related films – Captain America, Iron Man, Thor – in one shared continuity, complete with cinematic cameo crossovers.

Should Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe be disrupted for the sake of a Superman cameo? No. Should The Green Lantern maybe feature an appearance from Supes or (better yet) The Flash? Absolutely. And what would be the reasoning behind doing so? Remember a little project called Justice League that DC/WB tried and failed and failed and failed to get off the ground awhile back? If you want to expand your brand, getting your heroes onscreen together where everybody can revel in them is a great way to do it.

Click to continue reading about how DC Entertainment can expand its brand…

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Warner Bros. Creates DC Entertainment Inc.

Kofi Outlaw — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:49:39 +0000

After the Disney/Marvel merger DC Comics and longtime-partner Warner Bros. had to be shaking in their boots. “The House of the Mouse” is already looking like a force that few will likely be able to reckon with.

Well, in an effort to become one of those few forces able to take on Disney/Marvel, Nikke Finke reports that Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. has launched a new division, DC Entertainment Inc., in order to better expand the DC Brand.

Marvel fanboys have already been having heart palpitations wondering what the fate of their favorite characters will be in the hands of Disney. Now DC fans can officially share in that anxiety.

Diane Nelson will be the lady in charge of DC Entertainment Inc., as announced yesterday by Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer, and COO, Alan Horn. The mission statement of DC Entertainment Inc. will be to “strategically integrate the DC Comics business, brand and characters deeply into Warner Bros. Entertainment and all its content and distribution businesses.” Basically that constitutes Warner Bros. taking a more hands-on approach to developing DC Comic properties into successful film and TV franchises, interactive and new platform media, etc. In the midst of all this, DC Comics will remain as is for the most part, serving as the creative cornerstone of DC Entertainment Inc.

Of course this new structure means that DC’s comic book division has officially become a limb on a much larger body. As a result, Paul Levitz, President & Publisher of DC Comics since 2002, will vacate his exec post and return to a writing position, lending his three decades of experience to the “new DC” as a contributing editor and consultant.

Said Levitz:

“After so many roles at DC, it’s exciting to look forward to focusing on my writing and being able to remain a part of the company I love as it grows into its next stage. It’s a new golden age for comics and DC’s great characters, and I hope my new position will allow me to contribute to that magic time.”

Diane Nelson (Click Image for Source)

Nelson is leaving her post as President of Warner Premiere to take on the DC Entertainment job. If you’re wondering about her qualifications and experience: in her two decades working in creative brand management, strategic marketing and content development and production, Nelson has most notably had a big hand in adapting and managing the Harry Potter franchise for WB. Taking J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels and turning them into a juggernaut (read: cash cow) movie franchise is no small accomplishment; IMO, it demonstrates that Nelson understands how to maintain the balance between being true to source material, while making the needed changes to create successful multimedia ventures – an area where DC has admittedly had some trouble (See: Superman Returns).

Said Nelson:

“The founding of DC Entertainment fully recognizes our desire to provide both the DC properties and fans the type of content that is only possible through a concerted cross-company, multi-platform effort…DC Entertainment will help us to formally take the great working relationships between DC Comics and various Warner Bros. businesses to the next level in order to maximize every opportunity to bring DC’s unrivalled collection of titles and characters to life.”

For a great in-depth explanation of all this (with more quotes from the players involved) head on over to Deadline Hollywood.

Personally, I’m not at all upset (or surprised, really) about any of this. For better or worse, comic book fans, these are chicks we raised that are coming home to roost. We were the ones who pushed for so long to see our favorite heroes grace the big and small screens; our money fed the box office and gave rise to the “Era of Geek-Chic.” And in that proud era, our favorite comic books and superheroes have had their market value shoot WAY up – they are now worldwide icons and potential cash cows. When you think about it like that, it’s only logical that the big dawgs have come a barkin’ and comic book publishers have had to answer the call by stepping up into the corporate big leagues.

But will the source material – our beloved comic books – survive and flourish under these bright neon corporate banners, or whither and be forever tainted? As the zen master says “We shall see…”

What do you think about the creation of DC Entertainment Inc.? Will it be a good way for DC to catch up to Marvel in the multimedia market, or are you DC fans worrying that this is the end of the age of innocence for your beloved universe?

(And be sure to check our list of tags below to know which DC/WB movies are currently in the pipeline . Will this re-structuring affect them too?)

Source: Deadline Hollywood

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Hugo Weaving Should Play Sinestro In Green Lantern

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:52:22 +0000

So I recently did a Screen Rant speculative piece (patent pending) asking you, our loyal readers, which actor should tackle the almost Shakespearean role of Sinestro in The Green Lantern. The piece was a response of sorts to MTV Splash Page’s weekly column, where they cast some of their favorite superhero movies that are in the pipeline.

Well, as a result of both MTV and our own post regarding the role of Sinestro, an interesting consensus was reached (at least amongst our Screen Rant readers). If you haven’t guessed from the pic above, the general consensus is that actor Hugo Weaving (The Matrix, Lord of the Rings) is the man best suited for the purple dye-job to play Green Lantern’s nemesis.

First a recap on who Sinestro is and why I make the bold claim that the role is almost “Shakespearean”:

For those who don’t know, when Hal Jordan is first awarded his power ring and summoned to Oa, home base of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro is the most celebrated (and feared) member of the corps. He takes Hal Jordan under his wing and teaches him the ropes. The turning point in their relationship comes when Sinestro is empowered with a yellow ring (weakness of Green Lanterns) and his ambitions for universal martial order finally bubble to the surface, forcing Hal to become the proverbial student who ultimately bests the teacher.

To me, the character has always been like Iago from Othello crossed with Lord Macbeth. Sinestro is a schemer and an iimperial general wrapped in one, and early rumors about The Green Lantern script indicate that the villain will at least appear to be on the side of good for most of this first film, until his true nefarious nature is revealed.

You need an actor that can play imperial, cunning, ruthless, heroic and charming all at once, while flashing a wolf’s grin in front of eyes hiding madness and fury just behind their pupils. Basically George C. Scott’s Patton with purple skin and a yellow ring (for those of you who prefer WWII films to reading Shakespeare).

Hugo Weaving demonstrated in The Matrix that he can play the slightly-crazy, imperial-world-order type villain; he made it clear playing the Elf King in Lord of the Rings that he can portray a wise and respected leader. Hell, even his voice-work as the titular character in V For Vendetta shows how good the man is at walking the tightrope of intelligent/crazy. Add the fact that he’s already done some of the most epic and indelible action scenes of the new Millennium (The Matrix films), and suddenly it’s almost logical to imagine him facing off against Ryan Reynolds/Hal Jordan in a climatic deep-space showdown.

And, if the header pic isn’t enough proof, Weaving has the right look for the role.

So there you have it. Hugo Weaving for Sinestro. Of course if you disagree, there are always alternatives:

Dakota Fanning as Sinestro? No? You Sure?

Just Kidding (or am I?).

The Green Lantern is slated to start filming this fall, with an aimed release date of June 17, 2011.

Source: MTV Splash Page (Tag, you’re it!)

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The Green Lantern: Who Should Play Sinestro?

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 20:31:01 +0000

MTV Splash Page “stumbled upon” the great idea of doing a weekly feature where they fantasy-cast the roles of some of the biggest and yet-to-be-cast superhero movies that are currently in the pipeline (truly an original concept).

If you’ve already seen our own Screen Rant features like “Potential villains of Wolverine 2“, “Should The Joker & Two-Face Return for Batman 3?” or any of our excellent Avengers-related features, you already get the idea: it’s fun to pretend that you (the audience) control the movie universe.

Well, for their inaugural post, Splash Page speculates on which actors are best fit to be painted purple in order to play Hal Jordan’s mentor-turned-nemesis, Sinestro, opposite Ryan Reynolds in the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Green Lantern.

And I have to say, it’s a pretty impressive list.

Here are the actors that Splash Page nominated:

Daniel Day-Lewis

Danny Huston (Wolverine, Clash of the Titans)

Jeremy Irons

Guy Pearce

Gary Oldman

You’ll have to head over to the actual Splash Page article if you want to see pics of the actors (do they look the part of Sinestro?) as well as quick blurbs as to why they would be good fits for the role. For our purposes here, let’s recap who Sinestro is, and what he means to mythos of Green Lantern.

For those who don’t know, when Hal Jordan is first awarded his power ring and summoned to Oa, home base of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro is the most celebrated (and feared) member of the corps. He takes Hal Jordan under his wing and teaches him the ropes. The turning point in their relationship comes when Sinestro is empowered with a yellow ring (weakness of Green Lanterns) and his ambitions for universal martial order finally bubble to the surface, forcing Hal to become the proverbial student who ultimately bests the teacher.

In the years since that initial setup, Hal and Sinestro have gone at it time and again, most recently in acclaimed DC Comics (and DC/WB films) writer Geoff Johns’ now-classic “Sinestro Corps War” storyline. DC Universe’s recent animated feature, Green Lantern: First Flight, also made great use of Sinestro – so good, in fact, that the character’s descent into villainy completely overshadows the origin story of Hal Jordan.

Sinestro is a complicated character, to say the least. The best analogy I can think of would be Denzel Washington’s Detective Alonzo Harris in Training Day: Sinestro is essentially a veteran cop who views the system as broken and the laws as guidelines to be side-stepped, stretched, or even outright broken. He’s also a master manipulator – a tactic he employs until the moment arrives to start kicking ass, in which case Sinestro is as brutal and ruthless as they come.

I say all that to say: It’s going to take a VERY strong actor to truly nail all the subtleties of Sinestro – especially if earlier script reports are true, and Sinestro will actually play more of a “Senator Palpatine role” (a mentor with shades of villainy) for much of this first Green Lantern film. Remember, Denzel Washington earned an Oscar™ for nailing such a complicated role – you think about it like that, suddenly you start wondering if maybe they SHOULDN’T be pushing for a heavyweight like Daniel Day-Lewis to take on the part. I’m just saying, the man WOULD be great…

Daniel Day-Lewis as Sinestro? (Not that it would ever happen)

What do you think: what kind of actor is it going to take to do Sinestro justice? Do you agree with MTV’s picks?

The Green Lantern is set to hit theaters on June 17, 2011 – that’s IF it can straighten out its current budgetary woes and still make it into production on time this fall.

Source: MTV Splash Page

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The Green Lantern In Budget Trouble

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:52:53 +0000

Inside Film nabbed the exclusive news that The Green Lantern shoot, which was originally set to shoot this fall at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia, is now under threat by the rising value of the Australian dollar, which has ballooned the cost of the $150 million Warner Bros. production by a reported $15-25 million.

Warner Bros. is said to currently be in negotiations with the NSW State Government for added concessions and breaks that would compensate for the inflated cost of the movie. However, if that deal can’t be worked out for an equitable price, Green Lantern would have to relocate its entire shoot, which would likely delay production.

Now in the case of most offshore productions, financing rates are locked in at the time the deal is struck. However, in the case of The Green Lantern, it is alleged that the ongoing revisions to the script prevented the necessary financing provisions from being locked in, leaving the production costs open to market fluctuation. Since the production deal was initially made the Australian dollar has seen a 16% increase in value.

From a legal standpoint it doesn’t look like WB has much of a leg to stand on, other than asking “pretty please” for a favor. The Sydney government might consider extending that favor, though, as The Green Lantern production was going to create about 500 local jobs for extras, crew members, etc…

Really after all the legal madness Warner Bros. went through last year with Watchmen I’m surprised that they have so quickly fallen victim to yet ANOTHER contractual error. How do you take time for script rewrites at the risk of your budget? I’ve never understood studio politics so I’m not going to start tying now. I just hope this issue doesn’t delay Green Lantern anymore than the film already has been.

I could tell you when The Green Lantern is set to go into production and when it’s set to be released… but at this point would any of that info even be accurate?

Source: Inside Film

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SR Pick [Video]: Green Lantern vs. Deadpool

Rob Frappier — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:31:19 +0000

When news came out that Ryan Reynolds was going to star in the upcoming Green Lantern film, many fans (including some of us here at Screen Rant) wondered whether Reynolds would be able to manage the double duty of playing Hal Jordan and Deadpool at the same time. Well, the creators behind the hilarious “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series asked the same question.

Check out the video below.

If you haven’t seen the “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series before, stop what you’re doing right now and head to the YouTube channel of ItsJustSomeRandomGuy. Modeled after the famous “I’m a Mac… and I’m a PC” ads, the Marvel/DC videos combine equal parts dry humor and fanboy nerdiness into ridiculously funny two minute episodes. Some of the previous characters featured in the videos include Spiderman, Superman, Hellboy, The Hulk, and Rorschach. My personal favorite involves Iron Man and Batman.

While the Green Lantern/Deadpool video was made for laughs (”Bet you never met anyone with a yellow inner monologue before… BAM!”), it raises some interesting questions about Reynolds’ involvement in the franchises. While I doubt Reynolds will run into any problems initially, what happens if Deadpool or Green Lantern spin off into their own multi-picture franchise? Will Reynolds be able to sustain both roles? Let us know what you think in the comments.

BONUS:

For a great interview with the creators of the “I’m a Marvel…and I’m a DC” web series, check out this link from Marvel.com.

A nod to /Film for the pick-up.

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Nathan Fillion is a Fan of Reynolds as Green Lantern

Rob Keyes — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:17:40 +0000

Canadian Love is in the air this week as fan-favorite Nathan Fillion expresses his love and support for the casting of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan in the upcoming Green Lantern film.

Fillion, who became an actor to look out for (with his own dedicated cult following) after Firefly, is currently doing well with his new great show, Castle. But on the movie front, he’d been the subject of speculation as one of the many hopeful candidates for the Green Lantern movie. At least, up until recently when Justin Timberlake, Bradley Cooper and Ryan Reynolds were reported as the top choices and as we know, it was finally announced that Ryan Reynolds snagged the part.

So, how did Fillion react to the news of fellow Canadian Reynolds getting the part? He was actually very happy about it.

In speaking with MTV, he had this to say on the subject:

“The fact is, Ryan Reynolds has been chosen for ‘Green Lantern,’ and I can’t think of anyone better. He’s got the look, he’s got the talent, he’s got the chops, he’s got the build – the abs, he’s got superhero written all over him.”

Does he ever. Along with gaining starring roles in two big solo superhero films coming out in Green Lantern and Deadpool, Reynolds even played Captain Excellent in this year’s indie comedy, Paper Man. Going back a few years, he was also Hannibal King, the vampire hunter in Blade: Trinity.

It’s good to see Fillion fully positive and supportive of the decision and hopefully there’s more work for him down the road with Warner Brothers and their DC movies. He already had a part playing the voice of Steve Trevor in the animated Wonder Woman movie.

On that note, Fillion continued in the interview to say:

“I’m a little more like [a] sidekick, I’m a little more comic relief, whereas I know Ryan is going to handle [the role] beautifully… Ryan knows exactly what he’s doing and having worked with him for over two years, I know how he handles himself, I know how he attacks things and I’m a big fan.”

“I just went and saw ‘The Proposal,’ and I just love him so much… He does really, really good work. … We’ve actually exchanged a couple of e-mails just recently, just yakking about it. I’m very excited for him.”

I’m a big supporter of both of these actors and would love to seem them work together again after having come so far since their days in Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. It’d be nice to see them in a movie together down the road. Maybe there’s a small role in Green Lantern for Fillion to play? Wouldn’t that be sweet.

There have been a ton of big name actors speculated to play Hal Jordan over the last year but only one got featured in his own teaser trailer before the film even began production – that man is Nathan Fillion. Check that trailer out if you haven’t already.

Are you a Fillion and Reynolds fan like I am? What do you think of the Green Lantern selection and is there a spot for Fillion in the movie or other DC live-action movies down the road?

Green Lantern is scheduled to open June 17, 2011.

Source: MTV

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The Future of Superman & Who Might Be Involved

Rob Keyes — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:56:46 +0000

Our friend Robert Sanchez at IESB has the scoop on the latest details leaking out of the Warner Brothers camp for the Superman franchise.

According to Robert and his search for information on the Man of Steel, WB is treating Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns as a sort of conclusion to the film franchise as it was before, and are heading in new direction with new people.

We knew this already with Brandon Routh’s and Bryan Singer’s contracts expiring, but Robert now has some clues as to who may be involved with the franchise’s future: James McTeigue and the Wachowski brothers!

From what he’s gathered, it sounds like the Wachowskis may produce with McTeigue at the helm, in the same way they’ve been working on the action-packed Ninja Assassin movie.

I guess our reports back in February on the rumors about the Wachowskis being looked at to create a new Superman trilogy weren’t so far off after all. What’s even more interesting is that those Wachowski rumors from the beginning of the year originated from an interview with James McTeigue himself! Now it’s all starting to come together…

There are several obvious factors making this a believable possibility: the history of the Wachowskis working with WB in the past (Matrix movies, Speed Racer), McTeigue’s relationship with the brothers, and the court hearings that are forcing WB to get this movie fast-tracked for a 2011 start at the latest.

A few weeks ago, Screen Rant Editor Kofi Outlaw wrote about the recent ruling by a U.S. District Court Judge on the ever-lasting legal feud between DC/Warner Bros. and the estate of late Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel.

This court decision stated that WB needs another Superman film in production by 2011, or they’d be subject to potential lawsuits from the heirs of the Superman creators.

Click to continue reading ‘The Future of Superman & Who Might Be Involved’

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SDCC ‘09: Green Lantern: First Flight Review

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:09:16 +0000

To end my first night covering the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, I attended a screening of DC Universe’s latest animated feature, Green Lantern: First Flight. With buzz on the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Green Lantern building fast, Green Lantern: First Flight will likely be an early barometer of the public’s interest in the character.

So was the film any good?

I gotta say: GF:FL is not DC Universe’s best. I was actually a little bit let down on all fronts – the story, the dialogue, the animation quality, even the sound effects – which is a shame, because I came to the screening with nothing but high hopes after seeing the wonder feature-length Wonder Woman animated film early this year at the New York Comic-Con.

And why shouldn’t I? The creative team behind First Flight is pretty much the same one behind Wonder Woman: DC’s Bruce Timm is producing and Lauren Montgomery (Superman: Doomsday) is directing. Word is that this film is Montgomery’s last before a well-deserved leave, and if the little lady is feeling any signs of burnout in person, then the symptoms definitely show in the finished product.

Here’s a quick rundown of what Green Lantern: First Flight is all about: an updated re-telling of the origin of Green Lantern Hal Jordan, via a story that felt overly-rushed and totally devoid of character. For instance: five minutes into the film Hal Jordan has already gone from a test pilot we know nothing about, to a guy adorned with an emerald ring we know nothing about. Ten minutes in, Hal (mysteriously accustomed to his brand new super power) is blasting off to planet Oa with the Green Lantern corps (who we know nothing about).

The main problem I can pinpoint: after a rushed intro, the film diverts its focus from Hal Jordan (voiced by Christopher Meloni) and his journey to become a Green Lantern, instead steering narrative focus onto the character of Hal’s mentor-turned-nemesis, Sinestro (who is voiced by Victor Garber from ALIAS). Sinestro really does take up a lot of the screen time/POV, and the story really does end up being more about what makes Sinestro go bad, rather than what makes Hal Jordan (more of a foil for Sinestro here) rise to the status of a hero.

And the fight scenes… There are some clever moments in the film where Hal uses his ring to manifest some pretty cool stuff, but on the whole, the fight scenes get a bit repetitive and after awhile, seeing so many green (and yellow) lights zipping back and forth pretty much made my brain glaze over.

The voice work was ok, but when you’re reading bad dialogue even hearing Barry White whisper in your ear would make you cringe. And the choices of actors was a little strange: Meloni was OK, Garber did pretty well, but hearing Michael Madsen voicing Kilowog??? It never quite “rang true” to my ears.

So there it is… the verdict on Green Lantern: First Flight. Of course this is just MY lowly opinion and to find out for yourself how the film is you’ll have to check it out when it hits DVD/Blu-ray on July 28, 2009.

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Geoff Johns Tries NOT to Discuss The Flash & Green Lantern Movies

Kofi Outlaw — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:41:05 +0000

We recently reported that DC comics writer Geoff Johns (The Flash, Green Lantern) had turned in a treatment for The Flash movie to studio DC/Warner Bros. Well, it so happens that Johns was a featured (read: very popular) panelist at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International and, after a last minute quick-switch I as there to cover the event.

Now, Hollywood legalities are a tricky thing, so Johns couldn’t say TOO much about his work on The Flash script, or his opinion of The Green Lantern feature film – but thanks to some good old-fashioned Screen Rant investigative reporting, we do have a gem or two to share with you.

THE FLASH

For those not into comic books, Geoff Johns has been writing

The Flash series since 2000 and was also responsible for such notable (comic book) events such as the return of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern in 2005; re-launching the Teen Titans in 2003; and he even did some work on the book JSA alongside David S. Goyer, writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. He’s pretty famous and beloved by modern comic book fans everywhere and (for my money at least) there’s no better writer to be handling The Flash script right now.

So just what exactly is Geoff Johns’ cinematic vision of the Scarlett Speedester? Sorry guys, he couldn’t legally divulge what the plot points of his script treatment were – but that didn’t stop me from asking him what core elements of the character he had in mind when sitting down to hammer out the big-screen version of The Flash. Said Johns:

“We’re caught up in a world that’s obsessed with speed these days. Texting, faster downloading… We’re always looking for ways to speed things up, it can be hard to slow ourselves down.”

He wanted to expound on that explanation, but his editor (and his own good sense) cautioned him from saying any more. Johns did add, however, that part of his recent storyline in the Flash: Rebirth comic book dealt with the resurrected Barry Allen’s attempts to deal with “the seduction” of speed and being lost in the speed force. When asked a direct question about whether or not it would be Barry Allen we see in a Flash movie, Johns had no answer to give – but based on his impassioned description of the character in modern context, I wouldn’t be surprised if Barry Allen DID turn out to be the Flash that graces the silver screen, or if the film explores the many meanings of the term “moving too fast.” Guess we’ll know more if and or when the film moves forward.

THE GREEN LANTERN

In addition to writing The Flash comic book, Geoff Johns has been arguably the most acclaimed and celebrated writer of the Green Lantern comic book series ever. Even in the panel, fan after fan approached the microphone just to tell Mr. Johns that his recent stories (”Green Lantern: Rebirth,” “The Sinestro Corps,” the upcoming “Blackest Night”) are the ONLY reasons why they decided to get familiar with Green Lantern.

Naturally, as the guy bringing Green Lantern into the limelight (no pun) on the page, one must wonder what Geoff Johns thinks about the upcoming feature-film adaptation of The Green Lantern and the recent casting of Ryan Reynolds as the titular hero. Luckily for us, one eager fan in the panel asked that very question! Said Johns about Reynolds being cast as Hal Jordan:

“It’s great, he’s got the swagger for early Hal, definitely. And Martin Campbell directing… I’m psyched about it.”

Judging from all the things Johns couldn’t say, I think it’s a safe bet that he’s seen what’s in the works for The Green Lantern and if HE’S confident about it, I think it’s ok for the rest of us to start getting excited too.

So that’s it for the panel with Geoff Johns. Comic book fans who have been keeping up with the rebirths of Hal Jordan, Barry Allen and the events leading up to the “Blackest Night” storyline: you can expect more dark horror-style storytelling, more deaths and dead hero resurrections. Oh, and SPOILER: Hal Jordan throwing down with the “Black Lantern” version of Abin Sur (that’s a little gem for the die hard Green Lantern fans out there).

The Green Lantern is slated for release on June 17, 2011.

The Flash movie is still in the planning stages and has no release date yet.

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Ryan Reynolds Discussion: Deadpool, Green Lantern & More!

Rob Keyes — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:43:24 +0000

It’s a big time for comic fans who want to see their favorite characters grace the silver screen. With plenty of major comic book films debuting to widespread success in recent years, it’s no surprise that there are dozens more of these genre films in production or development as we speak.

Some major ones have made big strides in recent weeks, confirming dates and announcing casting decisions, and we expect some more of that soon with San Diego Comic-Con around the corner.

Join me as I try to make sense of a large mess of comic book movie news involving my one of my favorites, Ryan Reynolds (Plus: 2 pieces of awesome fan art!).

Several films that I’ve been following closely and expecting to make casting decisions this month and last are Thor and Green Lantern – both of which are planned for releases in the early part of summer 2011.

Luckily for us fans, I was right and we’ve seen several of the key characters for Marvel Studios’ Thor movie been cast and following in suit, DC’s counterpart movie which has been moving along the same trend in development and casting timing, Green Lantern, finally made its lead star casting decision last week.

The man who will play Hal Jordan in the upcoming Warner Brothers DC Comics film is Ryan Reynolds.

That’s not all though. Screen Rant has also been closely following other Marvel film franchises that have their licenses owned by other studios, such as Fox’s X-Men movies and there’s been some major developments there as well… also involving Ryan Reynolds.

As we all know, Reynolds played a part in X-Men Origins: Wolverine which opened in May to financially successful results. Critics everywhere and a large portion of the fans did not share in that success however.

As I’ve been reporting on all along, leading up to the film, we all thought Reynolds was a perfect selection to play the role of Wade Wilson/Deadpool in that movie and we hoped, as Reynolds did, that the character would get his own spinoff.

Unfortunately, the makers behind the Wolverine Origins film messed up the character and his storyline but on the positive side, in the few minutes we saw Reynolds playing Wade Wilson on screen, he was spectacular and easily one of the best parts of the film.

As a result, a Deadpool Solo spinoff movie was given the greenlight and Reynolds now has the opportunity to deliver what he wants from the character and what the fans want. From what Reynolds has been saying all along, they seem to match up very well.

In interviews everywhere for X-Men Origins: Wolverine prior to its release, and then after with the announcement of the go-ahead with Deadpool during interviews for his recent and successful romantic comedy, The Proposal (with Sandra Bullock), he’s been making confirmations about the movie for the fans left right and center.

He’s already said the film will closely follow the comics, that he’s been given a lot of control over the movie with Fox studios apparently also wanting to respect the source material closely with this one.

He’s also confirmed that the movie will feature Deadpool in his trademark red and black duds and that the character will be breaking the fourth wall in the movie like he does in the comics, interacting with the audience directly, knowing full well that he is in fact in a film.

Continue Reading ‘Ryan Reynolds Discussion: Deadpool, Green Lantern & More!’

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Ryan Reynolds Snags Green Lantern

Kofi Outlaw — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:04:40 +0000

We told you to check back regularly for this news to drop, and now it’s dropping!

Variety is reporting that actor Ryan Reynolds has been cast as The Green Lantern in Warner Bros.’ upcoming live-action adaption of the DC comics superhero. This announcement comes on the heels of earlier news that DC/Warner Bros. had narrowed the long search for their Green Lantern down to three finalists.

Reynolds has been a fast-rising star: his performance as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in this Summer’s Wolverine led Fox to create a spinoff film for the character. His most recent flick, the rom-com The Proposal with Sandra Bullock just passed $100 million and the actor has another film on the way, a psychological thriller called Buried, which is already generating mild buzz.

For all these reasons – and the fact that Reynolds has proven (keyword) he’s a pretty good leading man with a variety of range – he obviously deserves the role, and, in my early uninformed opinion, will handle it well. Congrats to him.

The Green Lantern casting has been a long, semi-entertaining drama but I’m glad I can now say that the film will be directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), with a script by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim and will star Ryan Reynolds in the titular role of Green Lantern/Hal Jordan!

I am Ryan Reynolds.

Phew. Over and done with. Now all I gotta do is let you know every time they add another cast member, shoot a scene, shoot a photo of a scene, cut a trailer, premiere a trailer…yadda, yadda, yadda. At least this part got figured out.

The Green Lantern is slated for release on June 17, 2011. Filming is set to start this Fall.

Here’s an early “look” at Reynolds in a GL costume, courtesy of Screen Rant writer Mike Wilkerson:

Source: Variety

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