HBO Max’s Green Lantern is officially a go for 2021 with the upcoming DC drama set to introduce multiple iconic characters from the mythology. The DC TV presence will soon be raising the bar for the industry as Warner Bros. TV is adapting one of the biggest mythologies in the DC world for television. Greg Berlanti, who created the Arrowverse for The CW, is set to tackle Green Lantern as his next superhero project. The streaming platform recently gave the Green Lantern project a series pick-up that will contain 10 episodes in the first season. The biggest news, however, was the reveal that the HBO Max drama will star not just one Emerald Knight.
While no actors have been cast yet, fans can look forward to seeing Alan Scott, Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, and Guy Gardner, along with Sinestro and Kilowog. While the last two have already been on the big screen before, for the Earth Lanterns, this marks as their first time being portrayed in a live-action project. According to HBO Max’s official announcement, the show will “introduce new heroes to the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps,” meaning that there’ll be additional characters to look forward to. Who they might be will possibly not be revealed until next year when the show (likely) starts production.
Not much has so far been revealed about the overall plot of the show other than the implication that it’ll explore multiple timelines of this saga. But the fact that showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith is exploring this many characters is an exciting prospect for Green Lantern. With 10 episodes that seemingly seem to not be as serialized, as much DC TV shows have been so far, it’ll be a refreshing addition to Berlanti’s ever-growing DC franchise. For viewers who don’t read the comics, they’ll be introduced to many main players of the Green Lantern mythology. The following are the actors who would be perfect to play Alan Scott, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Guy Gardner, Sinestro, and Kilowog.
Alan Scott
Known as the Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott has existed in the comics ever since 1940 when he first appeared in All-American Comics #16. While many of the more modern Lanterns have been tied to the Corps, Alan was originally a very different hero to carry the title. In the beginning, his ring was fueled through magical energy, but through the power of retcon, Alan’s status as a Green Lantern has evolved. For most DC readers, he is known as a major member of the Justice Society of America, the precursor to the Justice League of America. Within the last decade, another major change to his character is that Alan became established as an openly gay superhero thanks to The New 52.
Given that Alan in most stories is shown as being a bit older compared to the other Lanterns, Green Lantern should honor that. Doing so would allow for the show to focus on a Lantern who has been in the game for quite some time. Since the series will portray him as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Alan Cumming, with a tremendous body of work, would be a perfect choice to bring the Golden Age hero to screen. Alternatively, Arrow star John Barrowman would fit the character as well, having already played the complex hero Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and Torchwood.
Jessica Cruz
It wasn’t too long ago when DC Comics introduced a new female Lantern into the mythology, and Jessica Cruz has quickly become one of the most beloved Green Lanterns of all time. Aside from being one of the few primary female members, Jessica is an important figure when it comes to the representation of mental health in the superhero world. Suffering from anxiety and PTSD due to a traumatic moment in her life, Jessica is currently one of the few superheroes in comics that get to explore a very universal experience. Thanks to her introduction, it has also given the Latinx community another inspiring hero to represent them.
When it comes to bringing Jessica life in live-action for the first, Eiza González would be a solid choice for the role after her work on projects like From Dusk till Dawn. Another choice for Jessica is someone who is already a familiar face in the DC TV world: Aimee Garcia, who has been a main player on Lucifer ever since the second season. With the DC/Vertigo drama having a sixth and final season coming, Jessica would be a great role for Garcia. While her role as Ella Lopez is one of Lucifer’s more comedic characters, Garcia has multiple times pulled the viewers’ heartstrings over the course of the series.
Simon Baz
The superhero genre still lacks a heavy presence of middle-eastern characters as DC only has a handful of them that are A-players. One of them is Simon Baz who, like Jessica, is one of the most recent additions to the Green Lantern saga. Established as Lebanese-American, Simon is currently one of the biggest middle-eastern superheroes that exist in fiction. Just like with Jessica, Simon will be representing a marginalized community in what will be a massive television show coming from a huge studio like Warner Bros. Given that Simon and Jessica have a significant partnership in the Green Lantern books, it'll be a key relationship for the upcoming live-action adaptation.
Whoever they cast as Simon and Jessica will definitely need to have that chemistry that developed between the characters over the years through the comic books. Someone who would be an interesting choice for the role is Lebanese-Australian actor Firass Dirani whose superhero past includes playing Nick Russell a.k.a. Red Mystic Ranger in Power Rangers Mystic Force. Similarly like it was for Simon when he became a Lantern, Dirani was the first Lebanese actor to ever be cast in the Power Rangers franchise. The actor's body of work also includes The Combination, Hacksaw Ridge, and a 5-year gig on House Husbands.
Guy Gardner
When it comes to the original five Green Lanterns, Guy Gardner has had a mixed reception throughout his time as an Emerald Knight. Guy, who sometimes gets labeled as a jock-type, actually does have more depth to him as he had a tricky history of becoming a Green Lantern. During the time when Abin Sur's ring was looking for its next wielder, it was between Hal and Guy, but because Hal was closer, it ended up picking him. But eventually, Guy found his way into the Green Lantern Corps and has been a long-lasting member for years. Guy also happens to be one of the Lanterns who have had perhaps one of the more interesting costume evolutions throughout his time in the comics.
Someone who would be perfect casting for Guy happens to be an actor who has already expressed how much he wants to play him: Robert Kazinsky. Right after the announcement from HBO Max, the British actor quickly expressed once more his desire to play Guy (via a tweet). So why shouldn't he? Kazinsky's filmography includes multiple sci-fi/fantasy projects from True Blood, Pacific Rim, to Warcraft. Not only would Kazinsky be a strong choice for Guy, but the actor also happens to look very much like his comic book design. Someone like Kazinsky would also be able to help with Guy having a more three-dimensional character as one of the core members of the show.
Sinestro
While Hal Jordan is, so far, not involved with HBO Max's Green Lantern adaptation, his arch-enemy Sinestro is as he was the first character to be revealed after the initial 2019 announcement. It has already been teased that Sinestro's story will be a heavy element of the live-action drama. Initially, Sinestro was a respected member of the Green Lantern Corps who became Hal's mentor when the fighter pilot first got his ring. It's unclear if he will even have met Hal in this continuity or if they have yet to get to that point when the show premieres. While he may be starting out as a Green Lantern, this is the show's first character to feature someone that will, eventually, take on a different spectrum through the power of yellow which will lead to the Sinestro Corps.
Despite the 2011 film having its issues (and there were many of them), the way they depicted Sinestro wasn't one of them. Mark Strong portrayed the iconic character, who in a post-credit scene was seen putting on his yellow ring for the first time, teasing his role in a sequel. What the TV show needs is a similar actor who has a dominating presence and can easily fit the bill as a respected protector. Someone who is no stranger to the sci-fi and fantasy culture is Jason Isaacs whose roles in the Harry Potter franchise and Star Trek: Discovery are just two of the many great examples to prove him being a strong fit. Additionally, it'd not be the first time Isaacs has played Sinestro as he voiced the character in the DC animated film Green Lantern: Emerald Knights.
Kilowog
While the series is currently mostly featuring Earth members, Sinestro isn't the only non-human character that Green Lantern will be introducing. Another fan-favorite that the HBO Max show is looking to introduce is Kilowog, known as the trainer for all the newbie Lanterns, but also a supporting player in the whole mythology. The late Michael Clarke Duncan was the first actor to bring the character to life in the 2011 installment. It's unclear currently if they're looking to cast someone who would both voice and physically portray the character, or if Green Lantern will follow suit with the other DC TV series Doom Patrol, which has separate actors playing the characters while casting talents like Brendan Fraser and Matt Bomer to voice them.
If Green Lantern is going in a similar direction, then there is already someone in the Arrowverse that Berlanti could recruit. David Sobolov, who is best known to Arrowverse viewers as the voice of Gorilla Grodd on The Flash, has lent his voice to multiple iconic comic book characters. From characters like Drax: The Destroyer on Guardians of the Galaxy, Lobo on Young Justice, and many more, Sobolov would be perfect for someone like Kilowog. Green Lantern is currently looking to premiere sometime in 2021 which means that production should be happening early next year.