The Official Marc Guggenheim Thread

[protocida]

http://www.newsarama.com/film/090321-green-lantern-movie-news.html

[Blackman]

I wish he would have talked about casting

[Webhead2006]

thanks for the link.

[protocida]

Marc Guggehein (X-men Origins: Wolverine) talked about Green Lantern in a interview for CBR.com. It's on video. Here's the Link:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=21006

Here are the tidbits:

- He said Warner is avoiding to release too much information because of the fans reactions. If they reveal too much, there's too much negativity about the project even before the filming starts. He said that, if the Internet existed in that time, Michael Keaton would never be Batman because of the fan blacklash. Green Lantern is the most secret project he has ever worked in.

- He also talked about Joss Whedon's declarations that Marvel characters are easier to relate than DC characters. He said he agrees with the parallel Whedon made, but he doesn't think such dificulty exists. He said each character, either Marvel or DC, carries his own challenges. In Hal Jordan's case, there we're plenty. He had drinking problems, in the 80's and 90's he didn't followed orders, in Geoff Johns run he couldn't control his angers, etc. Those problems help the reader to identify with the character, and are traits normally associated with Marvel Comics.

- He also talked about Hal's characterization in the movie: "His essence is his heart. It's through his feelings he manifests his powers with the ring".

It's a good watch. :yay:

[dnno1]

I agree with him on all points. Back in the day, there were lots of people who were shocked at the choice of Michael Keaton as Batman. You could hear the buzz in comic shops. In my opinion, it was the excellent marketing campaign that sold that film. As far as the Whedon rebuttal, DC characters have very subtle problems. I find them to be looked up to a gods and with that, the perception of perfection. In truth, there are issues and they have been exploited over the years. You can tell from the interview that Gugenhiem has done his research on the character since he was probably too young to know about the character during his run in the 1970's.

[protocida]

I think DC characters are as relateable as Marvel's. If not more.

[Octoberist]

marc was involved with WOlverine?

[Webhead2006]

Sounds like good things for the film.

[protocida]

marc was involved with WOlverine?
I believe he wrote the Japan after-credits scene.

[Octoberist]

haha. that's it? maybe the best writing to the entire movie.

[protocida]

He also wrote the videogame.

[Doctor Jones]

I don't entirely agree with what he said.

There was a huge backlash when Ledger was cast in yet Nolan stuck to his guns. Backlash shouldn't do that to a film. The director should be confident enough to go forward to what he's doing as long as it's in his gut to do so.

[Dev]

I think DC characters are as relateable as Marvel's. If not more.

I disagree with that. Marvel's characters have more conflict, witty, sarcasm etc... things that people like in a character when they watch a movie. They also have alot of common origins which is some scientist experimenting on himself or an accident. This is what the audience like which is typical predictable stories and character behaviors. This is why Marvel has the reputation of being relatable and DC has the reputation of being boring.

[REDophile]

Good find, protocida. Hal Jordan of all the DC characters is deeply human in contrast to the power he receives as a GL. Barry Allen is a very everday character, another contrast to the Flash, him being frequently late. Whedon should have thought a bit more before he said what he did.

[protocida]

The backlash always affects the film. The Dark Knight, by example, overcame them, while Justice League: Mortal didn't.

[protocida]

I disagree with that. Marvel's characters have more conflict, witty, sarcasm etc... things that people like in a character when they watch a movie. They also have alot of common origins which is some scientist experimenting on himself or an accident. This is what the audience like which is typical predictable stories and character behaviors. This is why Marvel has the reputation of being relatable and DC has the reputation of being boring.
They have it now. Initially, even Marvel characters, with their flaws, we're very "boring". It was not a DC trait, it was a 60's trait. Marvel's might be less than DC's, but it was there. And, with the time, that was dissapearing, as writers added more layers to those heroes and villains.

[Dev]

^Hmmmm. I now realized something. Most of the threads in this forum has the the last post by you. Post much? :funny:

[protocida]

I Like to participate.

[greenlantern248]

Great find Proto, you always do come up with good threads.

Your right the backlash doesn't always hurt a movie, and really sometimes directors don't even listen, I remember seeing a bunch of heat for Affleck playing Daredevil and he stilled played him.

[protocida]

I agree. The secret is ignore it.

[Webhead2006]

Yea and another reason they probably dont want things getting revealed so is because they are still many months away from first unit filming started so they probably dont want things to fall apart.

[dnno1]

I don't entirely agree with what he said.

There was a huge backlash when Ledger was cast in yet Nolan stuck to his guns. Backlash shouldn't do that to a film. The director should be confident enough to go forward to what he's doing as long as it's in his gut to do so.

There was? My take on that was that there was a huge following behind the Ledger as Joker angle. The only backlash (or rather fear) was when he turned up dead and a lot of fans thought that the entire project would be down the tubes as a result (of course it didn't turn out that way).

[dnno1]

They have it now. Initially, even Marvel characters, with their flaws, we're very "boring". It was not a DC trait, it was a 60's trait. Marvel's might be less than DC's, but it was there. And, with the time, that was dissapearing, as writers added more layers to those heroes and villains.

I wouldn't necessarily say that DC's characters are booring, but rather that DC is not promoting as many as Marvel. In truth, DC pushes maybe 5 to 7 characters/titles that show up in the top 50 comics sold (http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/14743.html), whereas Marvel has about the same amount, but in more different titles. DC being boring is just a matter of opinion.

[Lobo]

There was? My take on that was that there was a huge following behind the Ledger as Joker angle. The only backlash (or rather fear) was when he turned up dead and a lot of fans thought that the entire project would be down the tubes as a result (of course it didn't turn out that way).

When ledger was announced as Joker, there was a HUGE amount of people against the idea. It wasn't until after the first few trailers that he started to become completely accepted in the role.

[protocida]

Correct.

[Octoberist]

i also think that maybe they're heavily rewriting the script, so it's still too early to release any sort of information.

Hell, the shoot is happening in the fall, so there's time.

[Webhead2006]

yea who knows what happening with the rewrites.

[Octoberist]

the budget all lies with the rewrites, and I'm sure they're somewhat condensing the alien stuff and downplaying it. For example, instead of having 20 alien characters, it might get cut down to 10.

[dnno1]

When ledger was announced as Joker, there was a HUGE amount of people against the idea. It wasn't until after the first few trailers that he started to become completely accepted in the role.

That shows you how much I know.

[Doctor Jones]

Yup, I remember it. Now it shut them all up.

Good thing I never doubted him. I think I was one of the only people who had faith in him.

[Lobo]

^There were a few. I was on the fence as I thoought there could have been MUCH better choices. Ledger owned the **** out of it, though :up:

[dnno1]

He definitely had a unique interpretation of the character compared to his predecessors.

[protocida]

Yes, I also doubted of him and was proundly wrong.

[Lobo]

http://scifiwire.com/2009/06/writer-reveals-green-lant.php

some tidbits

Beyond that, Guggenheim remained tight-lipped. "You know I really can't [say anything]," he said. "I've sworn a blood oath of secrecy in relation to the project. But, you know, the thing I can tell you is that it is a very loving and respectful approach."

Guggenheim added: "The goal here is to do the best cinematic representation of the Green Lantern character. You know, there's no desire on anyone's part to completely change the character and just call this other character Green Lantern and try to ... draft off the name recognition. This is all about 'How do we bring the best version of this character to the silver screen?'"

As for casting of the iconic character, rumors have centered on such of-the-moment actors as The Hangover's Bradley Cooper and Star Trek's Chris Pine. None are true, Guggenheim said.

"They're all false," he said. "I mean, they're all false insofar as we haven't chosen anyone yet. They're still in the negotiations, you know? There's a lot of names being talked about, and there's a lot of people being met, and a lot of ... actors reading the script

[TheComicbookKid]

I hope the fact that he says negoitiations means they have some of the main actors in place and are headed towards announcements soon.

[Showtime]

Once they nab their Hal, everything else will fall into place.

[Webhead2006]

yea hopefully they are pretty close to selecting their hal, and then who ever is selected for sinestro, carl, carol, etc.... to have good chemistry with the hal actor.

[Maze]

EXCLUSIVE: ‘Green Lantern’ Movie To Introduce One New Green Lantern, Says Screenwriter


Along with “Resurrection,” Guggenheim is co-writing the screenplay for the live-action “Green Lantern” movie based on the DC hero who uses a powerful ring to guard the Earth and surrounding areas of the universe against danger. He and fellow writers Michael Green and Greg Berlanti delivered yet another draft of the screenplay last week, and while he couldn’t share many details about the film’s plot, he did share some thoughts about the scripting process, the multitude of casting rumors and — possibly most intriguing — a new Green Lantern they created for the movie.

According to Guggenheim, the script has been in a constant state of revisions since “Casino Royale” director Martin Campbell was tagged to helm the project.

“It’s basically the exercise of changing the movie from being just a script that people are reading to being a script that people will actually shoot, perform and produce,” said the writer of the recent flurry of revisions.

As far as who will actually be performing that script, Guggenheim couldn’t share any details about what he did or didn’t know regarding casting — but he did warn fans not to dismiss the casting announcement when it does become official. Given the character’s iconic status among comic fans, he knows the initial word on who will play Hal Jordan is likely to generate a lot of debate, no matter who’s pegged to wear the ring.

Even so, Guggenheim said he’s as eager to find out who’ll play the Green Lantern of Sector 2814 (the section of the Green Lantern Corps universe that includes Earth) as anyone else.

“It’s always particularly funny when there’s a rumor that goes around and I’m like, ‘I know that can’t be true because that actor’s schedule doesn’t permit them to do the movie in our time frame,’ or any number of other things,” said the writer. “But I’m a very big believer that in acting, people can surprise you. People you didn’t necessarily think were the right choice on paper can be the absolute right choice.”

“When Heath Ledger was first announced as the Joker that wasn’t the obvious right choice, but now that everyone has seen ‘The Dark Knight,’ can any of us imagine someone else in that role?” he added.

Beyond the lead actor, however, a “Green Lantern” movie offers a unique chance at casting a wide range of roles — a massive, universe-spanning police force full of characters, in fact. While Guggenheim wouldn’t comment on whether we’ll see fan-favorite Green Lanterns like Kilowog or (my personal favorite) Ch’p, he did reveal that one new Green Lantern would be created specifically for the film.

“One of our rules has been: ‘Don’t create a new Lantern when a pre-existing one from the comic books would work just as well,’” he said. “There’s only one Lantern who we’ve decided to completely create from scratch, but there’s a very specific reason why we’ve made that decision.”


http://splashpage.mtv.com/2009/06/18/exclusive-green-lantern-movie-to-introduce-one-new-green-lantern-says-screenwriter/

[Wesley Dodds]

"A very specific reason"... What could that be?

[Changeling]

Whoa! Very cool!

[protocida]

Interesting. That shows how much the Script has changed.

Maybe they replaced Legion with a rogue Green Lantern?

[Wesley Dodds]

Eeeeuchhh! That'd be awful. It'd take all the steam out of Sinestro's arc.

[protocida]

Not quite. Sinestro has his own agenda, his own reasons and his own ways to make his masterplan come together. If it's a rogue Green Lantern, it'd be all about power, I guess.

[louiebling$]

Hmm... I'm not so sure about them making up a New Lantern.

[Webhead2006]

Cool interview i wonder whats up with that new lantern.

[Octoberist]

interesting because in the first draft, I can't recall any made up Lanterns that were important to the story... (Besides background characters)

[protocida]

Not even background characters.

[Webhead2006]

YEa well since we know its gone through alot of rewrites who knows how much the story has changed and who is or isnt a major player in the script.

[mclay18]

I don't see why there shouldn't be a new GL in the film. If it works to the movie's advantage in terms of development (i.e. getting to principal photography) and overall quality, I have no problems with that.

The thing I gather from the article is that the director and producers have a leading man in mind and are trying to see how compatible his schedule is with the production date. It seems they're very close to nailing down the shooting script and the leading man, so it's only a matter of time.

[Blackman]

The thing I gather from the article is that the director and producers have a leading man in mind and are trying to see how compatible his schedule is with the production date. It seems they're very close to nailing down the shooting script and the leading man, so it's only a matter of time.

If thats what it is, then imo its really strongly suggesting Cooper

[dnno1]

Didn't Guggenheim say he had a purpose in the film? It sounds to me that the new character is being used as a plot device. For all we know that character may be the very first green lantern (Rory Dagg). I don't know (I didn't read the script).

[Webhead2006]

Hopefully they do have their hal and are just waiting to have all the I's dotted and T's crossed.

[protocida]

Speaking of movies, Guggenheim knows that no matter how many shows, video games, comic books or other movies he does, the topic of the "Green Lantern" movie he co-wrote with Greg Berlanti and Michael Green is the topic most likely to come up. Yet, it also is the topic he is most hesitant to talk about.

"'Green Lantern' continues to move forward," he said. "But I can't say any more about it. I've signed a blood oath of secrecy."

Guggenheim said he is aware fans are concerned that the lead role has yet to be cast, but he said they have nothing to worry about.

"I understand where the fans are coming from," he said. "I understand that people are passionate, but everything will work out."

Guggenheim said he doesn't go on Internet message boards to see what people are writing about "Green Lantern," but he does get an e-mail notice when new stories are written about the movie.

"I haven't gone on the boards, but I do have a Google alert," he said. "So if something gets written (about "Green Lantern") and Google captures it, I see it."

And through reading the stories, Guggenheim said he has noticed a common thread.

"I can say don't believe all the rumors," he said. "In fact, I haven't read a single thing that is accurate."

However, Guggenheim also tried to downplay his role in the process by saying he is "just the writer."

"In fact," he said. "I have the Google alert so I can find out who is cast along with all of you."

http://thinkmcflythink.squarespace.com/ (http://thinkmcflythink.squarespace.com/)


:cwink:

[Webhead2006]

Well thats cool of what he said. Hopefully we will get our answer soon.