The upcoming Green Lantern series is eying Jeremy Irvine to play the role of Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern in the pages of DC Comics. Irvine got his big break in 2011 as the lead in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-nominated film, War Horse. Since then, Irvine has appeared as Pip in Great Expectations, a younger version of Pierce Brosnan's character in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, and in Roland Emmerich's Stonewall. He also currently stars in USA Network's Treadstone.
Alan Scott was introduced in All-American Comics #16 in July 1940 and was the first superhero to publish under the name Green Lantern. His origin is very different from subsequent Lanterns as his ring and Lantern have a mystical origin, as opposed to cosmic, and despite DC launching a new Green Lantern title with Hal Jordan during the Silver Age, Scott was popular enough to bring back through various multiverse stories. He has served on various teams, including The Justice Society of America, Checkmate, and the Sentinels of Magic. One of his biggest changes came in The New 52 run of titles where Scott was a gay man.
According to Deadline, Irvine is in negotiations to take on the role of Alan Scott in the upcoming Green Lantern series for HBO Max. The series will span decades with Scott's storyline taking place in the 1940s as the first Green Lantern and a secretly gay FBI agent. Finn Wittrock has already been cast as Guy Gardner and the series will also feature Sinestro, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Baz.
Green Lantern is one of many high-profile DC projects coming to HBO Max. The network already hosts a number of original programs, like Doom Patrol and Harley Quinn, and is also the exclusive home of Zack Snyder's Justice League. Peacemaker, spinning off from John Cena's character in The Suicide Squad will be coming to the service in 2022. Just recently, the network announced two new animated series titled Batman: Caped Crusader and My Adventures with Superman will be coming to the service, as well as a feature film for Batgirl.
The story of Alan Scott, being a closeted gay man in the 1940s and being given superpowers, is very similar to the storyline of Larry Trainor, a.k.a., Negative Man played by Matt Boomer on Doom Patrol. While Larry's sexuality was an invention for the Doom Patrol series, Alan Scott has been part of the character's comic identity since 2012. The news of a gay Green Lantern coming to the mainstream public could be big news and a story that could reach a lot more people than ones that typically pick up a comic book. Both Marvel and DC have committed to diversifying their heroes to better reflect the world. Various shows based in the Arrowverse, like Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, and Black Lightning feature LGBTQIA characters, and with a high-profile title like Green Lantern on a premium streaming service, many audience members will be introduced to Alan Scott for the first time.
Source: Deadline