Green Lantern director Martin Campbell has no interest in directing a Marvel movie. Before Ryan Reynolds got to make Deadpool the right way, his first foray into the superhero genre wasn't exactly a smash hit. Campbell helmed Reynolds' Green Lantern, a 2011 effort that was originally eyed to start a new franchise. The movie followed Hal Jordan (Reynolds) after he discovers an alien ring that brings him into contact with the Green Lantern Corps. and makes him a hero. This was two years before Warner Bros. kicked off the DCEU with Man of Steel.
Despite the big hopes attached to Green Lantern, it failed to make a good impression with audiences. The movie was saddled with negative reviews upon release and only grossed $219.9 million worldwide against a $200 million budget. Since then, Reynolds has frequently found ways to make fun of it, whether it be through the end-credits of Deadpool 2 or while promoting his new film Free Guy with co-star Taika Waititi. For his part, Campbell has side-stepped superhero movies and returned to action with films like The Foreigner and the upcoming release The Protégé.
To promote The Protégé, Campbell participated in an AMA session on Reddit this week. The wide-ranging conversation covered his work on the Zorro movies as well as his James Bond efforts GoldenEye and Casino Royale. At one point, Campbell was asked if there is any genre he has yet to try that he would like to. "I'd love to work in comedy! I think I'd do a good job," he wrote. Then, pivoting considerably, he added, "Marvel? Forget it. I fucked it up once, never again." That is almost certainly in reference to Green Lantern, and in the same session, he hinted that he fought with Warner Bros. over the making of the film.
Having already dipped his toes into the superhero genre, it's not surprising that Campbell wouldn't have much interest in working with Marvel. Though many directors have found success with Marvel, like the Russo brothers and Taika Waititi, the studio has had difficulties with others. Thor: The Dark World director Alan Taylor has spoken openly about his "wrenching" experience working on the movie, and Edgar Wright even departed his long in-development Ant-Man movie over creative differences. If Campbell had issues with Warner Bros. while working on Green Lantern, it's understandable that he would be wary of taking on another superhero-minded studio.
Beyond the issues of studio interference, it also just might be that Campbell isn't a fan of the comic book genre. Green Lantern is one of the more heavily-discussed superhero misfires of the past decade, and Campbell doesn't seem to be proud of his work. Action is his preferred place, and as he said, he's willing to tackle comedy if the opportunity arises. Campbell gave superheroes a shot with Green Lantern, but it just wasn't for him.
Source: Martin Campbell/Reddit