The Green Lantern Costume Probably Shouldn't Have Been Greenlit
The 2011 adaptation of "Green Lantern" must have seemed promising at first to fans. Future CW mega-writer Greg Berlanti co-wrote the script and was expected to direct with the idea that a future "Flash" movie could be set in the same cinematic universe (via Den of Geek). In 2009, however, Berlanti was assigned to a smaller project, and Martin Campbell was asked to helm the movie.
Campbell made "The Mask of Zorro" and "Casino Royale," but he didn't have his own vision for a "Green Lantern" movie. "Superhero movies are not my cup of tea," Campbell would later admit to Screen Rant, "and for that reason, I shouldn't have done it." Even Ryan Reynolds admitted to Empire Magazine in 2016 (via Cosmic Book) that "Green Lantern" was a "classic studio story." "'We have a poster, but we don't have a script or know what we want,'" Reynolds said. "'Let's start shooting!'" Amongst the numerous issues in the film is the infamous costume.
The CGI Green Lantern outfit doesn't work on screen
When it was decided Ryan Reynolds' "Green Lantern" uniform would be computer generated, designer Ngila Dickson worked with this new challenge. "I thought, 'What about a costume that comes from the body inside out?'" Dickson told Entertainment Weekly in 2011. "It was [inspired by this idea of] bringing the life force to the outside of his body."
It's a great idea, but the poor visual effects didn't get that across. Dickson acknowledged this, recognizing how the end results were not the same as what one would have gotten if the outfit was built in a costume house. Reynolds also disliked the motion capture costume, which — as he told Screen Rant – he didn't even get to see until the first trailer.
It was the only time Reynolds would get to "wear" the uniform as the film underperformed at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) and received poor reviews, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Instead, he prefers wearing an actual costume like in "Deadpool." "I love having the tactile, real deal all the time," Reynolds told Screen Rant.