The first movie tried to do way too much, introduce Hal and his life, including Carol, and then the GLs and Sinestro and Killowog, and then the big brain guy, and Parallax.
Didn't the GL cartoon movies try to reboot too? Making it sort of the old story/Training Day type thing where Sinestro turned out to be a bad cop?
And then the GL cartoon series tried its own thing by having Hal already GL and mostly focused on Hal in space with Kilowag. Sinestro was shown to be a hero and only seen once.
I say sort of reboot it, but since the main concepts were already established in the Reynolds movie they wont have to try too hard. Sort of like the Hulk
and then Incredible Hulk. But it would be a reboot. (If only Mark Strong (?) could still play Sinestro.)
I say have movie one establish who Hal is, then he gets taken into space to be the new GL and the whole movie should be in space with Hal as a fish
out of water facing a alien threat in an alien environment. (Similar to the old story where he had to fight that gold/yellow robot.) This would help establish
the other GLs too like Sinestro as his partner/friend. Their relationship needs to be heavily established, show they are more than friends. They are
brothers in arms, that way when Sinestro becomes evil in the next film it hurts all the more.
Or maybe have him train with Killowog and Sinestro while still on Earth. Like Sinestro suddenly shows up and they train. Interupting Hal's life on Earth
while he is trying to re-establish his career and love with Carol. And have the major threat be Earth bound, one major threat and make it alien or Earth
bound but something that shouldn't require too much explanation or history like Parallax. Maybe even something that has its origin related to the GLs,
like Iron Monger was related to Iron Man's. Something like Atrositus (pre-Red Lanterns.) That way Abin Surr's crashing on Earth/death and the threat
could be related. Atrositus crashes on Earth, after attacking Abin Surr. Now he is a big powerful vicious monster on Earth. And in this film Sinestro could
even help Hal stop him, like in John's Secret Origin. It also leaves his character open to return in a sequel as a Red Lantern.
Or maybe bring the Manhunters in as the bad guys. They attacked Abin Surr's ship causing him to crash on Earth and leading to Hal being GL. They
also are tied into the GL origin too. Robots created by the Guardians before the GLs.
So, lets see
Origin film. Reboot. Establish Hal on Earth, trying to get his life on track and then he finds Abin Surr and the ring (or it finds him). Suddenly he is being
taken away from his life to train with Killowog, or being visited unexpectedly by Sinestro. (Maybe Atrositus is why Sinestro decides to stick so closely to
Earth. And also maybe because Hal's ring was Sinestro's friend Abin's like in the original movie). So Hal must stop Atrocitus, and this time Sinestro can
aid him somewhat.
(I didn't like how Hal defeated Parallax all on his own without help. Something that wiped out the GL's best in one scene.)
In the end Hal and Sinestro have become friends. Hal's life however could be far from back to perfect.
Second film Sinstro trusts Hal, takes him to his home planet where Hal finds out Sinestro is actually ruling over it with an iron fist as a dictator.
Miss using his power.
This leads to a battle with Sinestro and his exile where Sinestro finds the yellow lantern power.
Would it be too much to have the Sinstro Corp in the second film already?
Maybe have the Sinestro Corp.
Third film?
Maybe bring back Atrocitus as a Red Lantern this time. Even start film with Hal apprehending a minro GL alien foe.
Or maybe make Carol, because of Hal's GL life, gets sucked into the Star Sapphires.
Maybe if the actors signed up for more than 3 films they could lead into a War of the Lanterns, Green vrs. Red vrs. yellow vrs. Pink, etc.
Actually, even if the actors only sign up for 3 films they can make sure to set it up so that Hal leaves being a GL, or goes into deep space as a member
of the elite GLs, leaving Earth in the hands of John Stewart, after 3 more films Stewart retires or is called away as well, and Kyle Rayner is brought in,
etc. So that eventually each could have 3 GL films, 9-12 maybe, and eventually leading to the War of the Lanterns and the Blackest Night (converted so
that no others superheroes need to be brought in. Just maybe the regular dead humans rise).
You could even get the original actor playing Hal to return as a possessed by Parallax.
Like the ultimate ending movie. Kyle, John, Guy, and Killowog, and Carol, fight to save Hal.
