TV - Movies
Only One DC Hero
Can Save Warner
Bros.' DCEU At
This Point
By NICK STANIFORTH
Whether it’s shaky worldbuilding, the cancellation of Batgirl or the futile efforts to kill the controversy surrounding “The Flash” star Ezra Miller, Warner Bros.’ DCEU is in crisis mode. However, the studio may yet have a chance to salvage the situation if they can give a certain DC superhero series the green light.
The Green Lanterns may have hit a stumbling block with Ryan Reynolds’ disastrous 2011 movie, but there’s always a chance for a comeback. Hal Jordan and his fellow enforcers have been fighting on a space opera-sized level since before the likes of “Star Wars” and “Captain Marvel,” and the possibilities in their universe are ripe for the picking.
In fact, one remaining promised project from the DCEU is a "Green Lantern" TV series that has been in the pipeline since 2020, starring Jeremy Irvine as Alan Scott and Finn Wittrock as Guy Gardener. Taking the small screen route would give time to develop the Green Lantern Corps before big movies, much like the MCU’s “Ms. Marvel” and “She-Hulk.”
Risky as it might be, diving headlong into Green Lantern could finally help the DCEU beat Marvel at their own game, with a tactic even they haven't put into effect yet. If Warner Bros. builds a Green Lantern sub-franchise with dozens of characters worthy of individual attention, they could assemble a compelling overall story before the MCU brings out the X-Men.
HBO Max's choice to focus on two Lanterns from very different eras is brave, bold, and leaves a lot of space to fly around in. They could adapt the 2004 comic storyline “Green Lantern: Rebirth” to not only build up an air of anticipation and mysteriousness around Hal Jordan, but also undo the damage wrought by the 2011 movie.
It’s clear that Warner Bros. is trying to tweak the DCEU by adapting the “Flashpoint” storyline with “The Flash.” But since the Green Lanterns were largely unaffected by the universal reset caused by “Flashpoint,” a Lantern sub-franchise could buy time for Warner Bros. to reboot the DCEU in case “The Flash” gets shelved.