Jack Black as GL? Why god...WHY?!

[Fatboy Roberts]

I JUST. DON'T. CARE.

I will then cease being your brick wall, good sir

Seriously though, constantly using the word "Rape" doesn't help your argument. I do understand where you're coming from, I just misjudged where you were coming from in the conversation, and what you wanted to do in it. That's my bad man, I'm sorry.

 

[Nightwing 52]

As much as I dont want John Stewart to be the GL in the first film, if he was then that guy totally deserves to play him. He seems to be a huge fan of the comics which I completely respect.

Personally, i'd love a series of films, starting with Hal Jordan, than introducing others as they go along. I'd love to eventually see a film with all 4 main Earth Green Lanterns, although I doubt that would happen.

Agreed. Reynolds really sounds like a true comic fan, and has a well creative open mind. I don't mind the film focusing on Stewart at all, even though a movie with Hal could always work well if it was taken in the right direction like this one. What I like that Reynolds does is how he acknowledges the difference between the comics and a film version of John, favoring the comic version.

Though it may never happen, I'd also like to see a film based on Alan Scott.

 

[ToddIsDead]

Call me crazy, but I might actually prefer an Alan Scott movie taking place during the WWII era. I don't know why, I just think it would be cool. But ultimately, I think the best route would be to make a serious adaptation with Hal.

 

[GL's Light]

There are a number of legitimate routes to take in making a GL film. You could make a period adventure with Alan Scott - something with a bit of a Doc Savage/Indiana Jones style to it - or you could make a space opera with Hal Jordan - or you could go with a different sort of sci-fi film with John Stewart taking charge of the Mosaic world.

 

[ToddIsDead]

True, but I think the smartest route, is a multi-film saga, and in the first you have Hal, and Abin Sur crashes and gives him his ring, and you just get introduced to everything, and there's the Corps, and probably Sinestro. And then in the later movies you can introduce some of the other Earth lanterns, and other galactic threats.

I just had a thought, maybe if they do a movie with Hal, and they could allude to their already being a hero named Green Lantern that fought in World War II. I think it would be a nice nod.

 

[Elijya]

Newsarama is reporting that Corey Reynolds wants a chance at playing Green Lantern.



http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73962

Wow. I appluad that man, and I hope he gets his chance.

 

[Hypestyle]

DC should have an Avi Arad figure, to advocate for the characters, for them to be taken more seriously.. I'd accept jack Black in furry makeup as G'Nort, maybe, but not as.. well, any other Lantern..

 

[Saint]

I will then cease being your brick wall, good sir

Seriously though, constantly using the word "Rape" doesn't help your argument.

I call it like I see it.

 

[Manic]

Wow. If I didn't already know what a Green Lantern was, I'd swear Alan was holding a gay lamp. Slang sure has shifted these past 60 years.

 

[That-Guy]

While I'm not a huge fan of John Stewart, I'd take a movie focusing on him and this Corey Reynolds dude playing him in a heartbeat before I'd sit through Jack Black farting green smoke clouds all over the screen. I'd prefer a movie focusing on Hal, but just from a social aspect, I can understand if DC/WB wants to make a superhero movie focusing on an African American character, then they might as well actually USE one of their African American characters instead of doing something like making Will Smith the new Superman (yes, there was actually a possibility of this happening once).

Personally, for me, I'd like to see a movie based on the GL corps, with Hal as the main character in the first film, and have Guy and John also be in it. I'd introduce Kyle in the sequel, though I don't know if I'd go the whole "Parallax" route, simply because what made the whole "Hal turning evil" thing so shocking was that he was a character with decades and decades of history that we'd all seen unfold. But those were comics. To movie audiences, they'd see him get his ring and save the galaxy in the first film, only to turn bad in the second? It just doesn't have the same impact. The reaction would be more like, "uh... what?"

As for an Alan Scott film... that would be a cool route to take too, though not the one I'd prefer. But I would like to see one of these superhero films set back in the time of the hero's original creation. Setting a film in the 40's or 50's adds a really cool element to it... for example, the film Dick Tracy wasn't really all that great, IMO, but the set designs were awesome. Imagine how cool a movie about the Sandman (the gas mask one, not the Neil Gaiman one) could be, if set in the 40's.

 

[bulok]

Couldnt the Corey guy play Hal Jordan? What would be the problem with that? Hal Jordan's ethnicity really shouldn't be an issue. In fact GL's ethnicity shouldn't be an issue. He's the HUMAN representative of GL for sector 3814. He could be caucasian, black, asian it doesn't matter. He's GL for this sector, this earth.

 

[Steelsheen]

Couldnt the Corey guy play Hal Jordan? What would be the problem with that? Hal Jordan's ethnicity really shouldn't be an issue. In fact GL's ethnicity shouldn't be an issue. He's the HUMAN representative of GL for sector 3814. He could be caucasian, black, asian it doesn't matter. He's GL for this sector, this earth.

Hal has always been caucasian dude. you can reverse the argument and ask "why not make John Stewart white?" which is still unfair for the creator of the character because it negates how he wants his character protrayed. you do have a point that the GL of this sector should be representative of the people living here, thats why its such a good thing that they are introducing different GL characters now. IIRC theres an asian representative of a GL in the future as well.

 

[dnno1]

Couldnt the Corey guy play Hal Jordan? What would be the problem with that? Hal Jordan's ethnicity really shouldn't be an issue. In fact GL's ethnicity shouldn't be an issue. He's the HUMAN representative of GL for sector 3814. He could be caucasian, black, asian it doesn't matter. He's GL for this sector, this earth.

I think it's sector 2814. I think he (John Stewart) is often refered to as Green Lantern 2814.2. I think it is already established from the article that Corey would like to play John Stewart and has the greatest respect for Hal Jordan. I don't think he would even want to do that (play Hal).

 

[bulok]

I think it's sector 2814. I think he (John Stewart) is often refered to as Green Lantern 2814.2.

typo :P you got me though



Seriously though, how many famous white guys do you know whose last name is "Jordan". Now how many black guys? That's right.

I'm just saying, Hal Jordan, GL, whatever isn't the cultural icon that Superman or Batman or Spiderman is. GL is a galactic superhero. He just needs to be human.

A movie with either a white or black Hal Jordan would work.

 

[IKnowSomeJudo]

I always liked the concept of Green Lantern. A "power ring" that turns thoughts into solid mass, planet called "Oa", an intergalactic police led by blue midgets called Guardians of the Universe, plus species of the corp members ranging from living sentient planets to abstract mathematical progressions. I mean, that in itself is one of the most ****ed up, psychedelic things ever thought of, man. Too bad the comic mostly got the generic superhero treatment over the years, instead of letting writers really go crazy with it, do stuff with it that's way out there.
That said, I don't think a Jack Black fart-joke-a-minute comedy is the way to go either, but I don't see it being all that much worse...
I'm thinking screenplay written by Neil Gaiman directed by David Lynch (think Dune) could be the best thing that ever happened to this character.

 

[dnno1]

typo :P you got me though



Seriously though, how many famous white guys do you know whose last name is "Jordan". Now how many black guys? That's right.

I'm just saying, Hal Jordan, GL, whatever isn't the cultural icon that Superman or Batman or Spiderman is. GL is a galactic superhero. He just needs to be human.

A movie with either a white or black Hal Jordan would work.

Look, let's not get into that. There are plenty Jordans who are both white and black (just look on the Internet) and their are famous Jordans who are white. I think what you should be saying is that the bearer of the Green Lantern title does not necessarily have to be of any ethnicity, race (not even human), or species, but we do know from the source material that a black Green Lantern has been established (John Stewart) and that he has developed a level of popularity over the last 9-10 years and it would be inappropriate and confusing to fans if they were to take a black actor and make him play Hal and not John. To me that's out of character.

 

[bulok]

I think what you should be saying is that the bearer of the Green Lantern title does not necessarily have to be of any ethnicity, race (not even human), or species,

That's what i've been saying

but we do know from the source material that a black Green Lantern has been established (John Stewart) and that he has developed a level of popularity over the last 9-10 years and it would be inappropriate and confusing to fans if they were to take a black actor and make him play Hal and not John. To me that's out of character.

Kingpin. He's a fairly famous character in the Marvel universe. People didn't seem to have a problem with a black guy playing. is it acceptable because its a villain? But when it comes to a superhero, suddenly his ethnicity matters.

Personally, I think John Stewart's background is more anyways. I mean, who the hell's a test pilot nowadays? Big woop. There's more connection to John Stewart or Kyle Rayner than there would ever be to Hal Jordan. I have never been a fan, what can I say.

What it boils down to is ACTORS. Why couldn't a perfectly capable actor be cast for as generic a role as Hal Jordan due to his ethnicity?

 

[The Question]

I don't know about a movie, but I've thought for a while now that if they ever do an Adult Swin cartoon based on the Super Buddies, Jack Black should voice Gardner.

 

[The Squirrel]

Newsarama is reporting that Corey Reynolds wants a chance at playing Green Lantern.

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73962

He looks cool.

 

[Manic]

Couldnt the Corey guy play Hal Jordan? What would be the problem with that? Hal Jordan's ethnicity really shouldn't be an issue. In fact GL's ethnicity shouldn't be an issue. He's the HUMAN representative of GL for sector 3814. He could be caucasian, black, asian it doesn't matter. He's GL for this sector, this earth.

*head explodes*

My black anger will not allow me to remain silent, here. There is a perfectly good black man with a power ring, and his name is John Stewart. You make Hal Jordan black, and you're just going to
a) Anger Hal's fans
b) Confuse new readers who'll expect to see a black Hal in the comics
c) Decrease John's popularity, thus throwing another black superhero further into obscurity.

 

[dnno1]

That's what i've been saying






Kingpin. He's a fairly famous character in the Marvel universe. People didn't seem to have a problem with a black guy playing. is it acceptable because its a villain? But when it comes to a superhero, suddenly his ethnicity matters.

Personally, I think John Stewart's background is more anyways. I mean, who the hell's a test pilot nowadays? Big woop. There's more connection to John Stewart or Kyle Rayner than there would ever be to Hal Jordan. I have never been a fan, what can I say.

What it boils down to is ACTORS. Why couldn't a perfectly capable actor be cast for as generic a role as Hal Jordan due to his ethnicity?

I'm sorry that I didn't respond sooner. I had to go to church.

As far as the Kingpin issue, you can say the same thing for Green Lantern. Green Lantern is a fairly famous character (compaired to Batman and Superman) and yet Bruce Timm and co. chose to use the (black/African American) John Stewart character (over Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner, who are both white) in the Justice League animated series. This was for reasons of diversity among others (the use of Hawkgirl over Hawkman was a similar decision). According to Wikipedia.org there was controversy over this decision, but over time I think the character became accepted by the fans. The difference between the Green Lantern and Kingpin issues is that the Timm/Dini team had available to them from the source material a Green Lanter that was already black, so there was no need to change an existing character's (namely Hal or Kyle's) ethincity. In any case there is usually a reason for the change in ethinicity of a character be it divesity, popularity, or the desire to capture a certain market.

Finally don't knock Hal Jordan because of his occupation. A test pilot is considered a very dangerous position and is considerd a pinnacle of military aviation. Over the years Hollywood has imortalized the test pilot in films. Some famous test pilots are Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, and Chuck Yeager. Although he is a fictitious character, Hal Jordan, would be considered a person to be respected for his fearlesness and bravery. As far as test pilots and their connection with society there are countless youths who dream of joining the airforce to become pilots or having the "right stuff" and signing up with NASA to become an astronaut so I wouldn't go saying "Big woop" about the occupation.

 

[Katsuro]

Couldnt the Corey guy play Hal Jordan? What would be the problem with that? Hal Jordan's ethnicity really shouldn't be an issue. In fact GL's ethnicity shouldn't be an issue. He's the HUMAN representative of GL for sector 3814. He could be caucasian, black, asian it doesn't matter. He's GL for this sector, this earth.

You keep saying that a Green Lantern can be any race. While this is obviously true, dont forget we're not just talking about A Green Lantern, we're talking about Hal Jordan specifically. Hal Jordan is white, John Stewart is black. Both are Green Lanterns, but they're both DIFFERENT Green Lanterns. A person of any race can be drafted into the Green Lanterns, but that doens't mean you could just change an existing Green Lanterns race.

Think of it this way, the Green Lanterns allow females, right? And of course, a female could be the representative for Humans, so why don't we make Hal Jordan a female? We'll call her, I dont know, Haley Jordan. I mean, GLs can be any gender, right? See my point?

Of course, I wouldn't really mind a race change much at all, if there wasn't a whole lot of confusion to be caused. Why cast an actor that looks perfect for one GL as another one? Why have a Green Lantern that has the story of one GL, and the appearance of another? It'll just confuse people. People will see JLU, where John Stewart is the black GL, they're see the movie where Hal Jordan is the black GL, then read the comics where... Hal Jordan is the white GL.

 

[ROB]

WTF people want to see their favourite characters done justice. Their are 5 earth green lanterns to choose from why the hell would you need to change gender/race. Fans dont want to watch their favs get dogged and put up with non readers saying GL isnt that a girl or hal jordon hes black right. or worse isnt Green Lantern a short fat guy NOOOOOOOOOO.

 

[bulok]

See I am putting this on a film maker/producer's perspective not a fanboy's. They will be marketing to more than just the fans because let's face it, other than Superman and Batman, the other DC chars would hardly have any mainstream appeal.

As a producer, I would amalgamate all 3 existing GLs, Kyle, Stewart and Hal into one character. Movies just won't have enough room for a "GL Universe". Explaining the corps and the existence of 3 would be too long and confusing to non-readers.

So the character would be an engineer/architect who is fearless (maybe show him abseiling down a dam or building inspecting damages etc. One night after partying he is given the ring by a blue guy who warns him of an imminent danger. Warns him that he has to hold the fort til others come.

So some little actions from minor villains til the end. Some aliens are giving powers to criminals wreaking havoc. Finale would be a big alien invasion and a group of GLs coming to Earth for a big fight.





Anyways, crappy plot outline aside, you guys are seeing this like the moviemakers would have fans in mind or that they figure these movies will eventually have people reading comic books. Guess what. They don't.

The comic book publishing side and movie producing are 2 separate entities. One does not influence the other. Comicbook DC has no control over the films and movie makers don't care. Having a black Hal Jordan will not confuse moviegoers. It will just piss off the people who can't see past the colour of the guy's skin.

Again, what does it matter if the guy who works for the Ferris Aircraft, a fearless test pilot who was given the most powerful weapon in the universe, is played by an Asian, Black, Hispanic or Caucasian guy? What does it matter to the person who's never read a comic book? It doesn't.

What should it matter to you?

 

[ROB]

coz I read the dam book im guessing u dont