COREY REYNOLDS: GREEN LANTERN TO BE?
by Steve Fritz
If you were to ask Corey Reynolds, hes having the time of his life.
Not even 30, hes worked his way from regional theatre to Broadway and now to a key supporting role in TNTs
The Closer. Of course, this begs one highly important question for the actor who plays Sgt. David Gabriel.
Marvel or DC?
I have my favorites on both sides, but my heart is with DC, he replies, because DC has the Green Lantern. Green Lantern is my favorite comic book hero.
That begs a second critical question. So is your favorite Lantern? Hal? Guy? Kyle? Who?
Now Hal Jordan is the ultimate Green Lantern, Reynolds admits, but my favorite is John Stewart. I believe that it really is about time for a black, traditional, All-American hero and Stewart represents that.
Hes gone through everything from being paralyzed to being healed, to being placed in charge of it all, to patrolling 2814. Hes gone through everything. But when you look at his back story as far as where he comes from., how he grew up, that hes an architect by trade, I think its very interesting to think that someone like him was given the ability to just about anything they want with their mind. I also think its interesting that he has such a creative mind to begin with. I love the whole idea that the combination of will and determination being the link to his abilities. So I think he would be a really interesting character to bring to the screen, and Im working hard to make it happen.
You read that right. Reynolds is currently hard at work on obtaining the rights to DCs Green Lantern franchise. Ambitious, even for an actor whos only truly starting to get his first true taste of national exposure. Then again, were also talking about one huge comic book fan here; one who is actually working for a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Stranger things have happened in Hollywood, and some have even worked out.
From the amount of thought Reynolds has put into John Stewart, he just might pull it off.
Id rather not discuss the business aspect as they are still very up in the air, but ultimately yes, it would be Warner Bros. I would be working with, says Reynolds. After all, they own the comic. Also, with the success of
Batman Begins and the anticipated success of
Superman Returns, theres talk.
Theres still one major question though, and that is what direction would Reynolds take this particular Emerald Knight? As he acknowledged, Stewarts been through more than his share of changes since he was introduced. Also, theres the matter of how hes been redefined again through Bruce Timm and crews
Justice League series.
Story-wise the direction Im going is more true to the comic, says Reynolds. What I think is interesting about this way is normally a lot of heroes are just born that way or are born knowing they have a path to travel. John always felt there was a purpose to his life, he just didnt know what capacity it would be in. Then, all of a sudden, he is handed this tremendous gift and not everyone is prepared for that.
Id love for it to be a series. I think I would need about three films to tell the story that Id want to. Id like to use the first film to paint the picture of what he is as a man. Id also challenge the viewer to what they would be like if they were given the same responsibility. How would they handle it? Hopefully that would be the bridge between all the versions of him.
I think the interesting thing about bringing the big guy to the screen is finding the balance between those who see him the way Bruce Timm and Phil LaMarr made him, and the version in the comics, says Reynolds. If that isnt enough, one also when doing a movie one also has to make him interesting to people who have never read the comics or seen the cartoon, especially as he doesnt get as much hype as many other characters at DC. Hes not just what the younger kids have seen, this big brooding character from the cartoons.
Reynolds also has a very strong idea what kind of movie his Green Lantern would be.
Visually, I think the film could be stunning, he said. Bryan Singer would be the director I would salivate to have. When he worked on the X-Men movies he created this incredibly organic world that made you believe the characters that were in there. He really captured that series the way I think the fans would have wanted it to be.
As for other Lanterns making an appearance, Stewart admits there he has to be a bit of a realist. I think thats something we will see happen. Some of them will be on screen while others will only be alluded to. I have to be careful to not step on other potential franchises. If possible, in the second film I want to throw a reference in to the League as a whole, and John joining.
In the meantime, he appears to be having the time of his life playing Sgt. Gabriel.
It has its plusses and minuses, says Reynolds. On the plus side Im allowed to make mistakes. After all, its my first experience not only with a TV series, but with the camera altogether. Before The Closer my entire experience has been in live performance. So Im going from stage to screen. The good news is everyone has their role both on the screen and in the family. Im in the position that I can ask questions and not look silly.
Gabriel is the youngest of the characters, but he got there because he deserved to. After all, his rank is sergeant and all the characters know hes on the accelerated path. He was also brought in because hes one of the few who understand Kyras character as a person. He also knows shes the best person he can have to mentor him and help him along on the path thats been made for him. Its very big sister/ little brother.
Another thing about Gabriel, along with John Stewart for that matter, Reynolds continues, is both have an innate sense of seeing right from wrong. He also is compelled to insure that justice prevails. Last year was about establishing the relationships inside the squad. This season it will be about the squad going up against the LAPD as a whole. I think the viewers will really enjoy it.
And working on a Warner Bros./Turner-produced show has its perks. For instance, Reynolds apparently has all the
Justice League DVDs in his trailer for his viewing pleasure
including the unreleased stuff.
And as an admittedly
huge comic book fan, the steady income of a successful TV actor has been doing wonders for the personal collection.
I do a lot of my shopping through the Internet and especially eBay for things that are hard to find, says Reynolds. I recently found a mint condition 1984 Hall of Justice headquarters on there. The collection of action figures has exploded now that I have the resources to pamper myself with. I probably have a total of 600 to 700 action figures in my collection. The comic book collection itself was lost in my move from the East Coast to LA, where a lot of my good stuff got destroyed. Ive recouped as much of it as I could but one thing Im proud to say I have is a lithograph of John Stewart signed by Bruce Timm.
Lord knows what will happen to that collection if the Warners does give this man the green light on the Lantern project. Then again, it probably couldnt be in better hands.