Even though Green Lantern was one of DC’s big flops over a decade ago, the hero might get a redemption with the DCU’s new HBO series. As fans are aware, the 2011 movie featured Ryan Reynolds in the title role, and with the universe reboot now under James Gunn’s watch, the DC Studios Co-CEO decided to have a little fun with the actor. In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, he revealed that Reynolds was one of the first people he called after taking on the new position and quickly asked him about the chance of a return to the universe. After all the times Reynolds has spoken negatively about the movie, it’s not hard to imagine what his reaction to that question would be.
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“Ryan doesn’t give a sh-t,” Gunn said when the actor was mentioned in relation to the Lanterns series. “One of the first people I talked to after I got the job was Ryan Reynolds. I was like, ‘You coming back?!’ He’s like, ‘Get the f-ck out of here!’”
It’s no secret that the MCU star doesn’t miss the role of Green Lantern at all. Reynolds has spoken at length about not liking the result or the experience, and even admitted that he was rooting for the film to fail so he wouldn’t have to return for a possible sequel. As Marvel fans may no doubt recall, a post-credit scene in Deadpool 2 featured the Merc with a mouth shooting Reynolds in the head as he held the script for Green Lantern. As recently as 2021, Reynolds admitted that he tried to give the movie a chance by rewatching it drunk, saying that the movie was “was nothing to fear!” while praising the “Hundreds of incredible crew and cast members” and summarizing his feelings on Green Lantern with “it’s not perfect, it ain’t a tragedy.”
Much of Reynolds’ frustration also stemmed from the filming process. However, Reynolds shifted to a new character and thanks to his persistence with Deadpool, he managed to establish himself in the superhero movie scene and the DC project is just a blip on his resume.
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Although he doesn’t care about Green Lantern anymore, the film was the place where Reynolds meet his wife, Blake Lively. Furthermore the character may have also played a role in pushing him toward the resounding success that Deadpool is today. After all, would the box office record of the last movie have happened if he hadn’t gone through the DCU?
Despite Green Lantern flopping on the big screen in 2011, Gunn is determined to change the superhero’s legacy with audiences. The new series, officially greenlit back in June, is already developing high expectations among fans, especially after screenwriter Tom King hyped up the show’s casting. The upcoming series will see Kyle Chandler take on the role of Hal Jordan, starring along side Rebel Ridge‘s Aaron Pierre as John Stewart plus Kelly Macdonald and Garret Dillahunt.
