Taglines: In our darkest hour, there will be light.
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite, powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. Warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him the ability to create anything his mind can imagine. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal’s humanity is one weapon no member of the Corps has ever had, and if—with willpower, determination and the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively)—Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will save the Earth and all of mankind from certain destruction.
Green Lantern is an American superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett and Tim Robbins, with Martin Campbell directing a script by Greg Berlanti and comic book writers Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, which was subsequently rewritten by Michael Goldenberg. Green Lantern tells the story of Hal Jordan, a test pilot who is selected to become the first human member of the Green Lantern Corps. Hal is given a ring that grants him superpowers and must confront the evil Parallax, who threatens to upset the balance of power in the universe.
About the Production
“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight…” — Hal Jordan
At the edge of space, a war has been raging between those who rule with fear, and those who protect life: the Green Lantern Corps. And when one great warrior is lost, another must be chosen. This time, for the first time, one of us will become one of them. “I was so thrilled to be bringing Green Lantern to the big screen at last,” director Martin Campbell states, “because, to me, he is one of the most exciting and interesting superheroes in all of comics. First off, he’s a human being, and has a lot of character flaws, so on that level, he’s totally relatable. But he also gets to go to other worlds, so his adventures have infinite potential.”
One of the things that has always set Green Lantern apart from most superheroes—and one of the elements that has made him so popular—is that, by the very nature of the Corps, his job takes him to the farthest reaches of space.
“Superhero movies are meant to capture our imagination in some of the most impossible ways,” says Ryan Reynolds, who takes on the title role. “To that end, Green Lantern is a perfect character to bring to the movies because he really has it all—action, adventure, humor and humanity.”
Producer Donald De Line affirms, “Going in, we were all very excited, knowing that today’s filmmaking technology would allow us to bring Green Lantern to the screen in a way that would showcase the fun, fighting and fantastical escapades in great detail and epic scope.”
Blake Lively, who stars as Carol Ferris, offers, “We’ve got explosions and fights and trips to outer space and back, but I love that the movie also has a great sense of fun and a hint of romance about it. And the Corps should appeal to women, too—representing virtually every species of alien imaginable, it’s definitely not a men’s-only club.”
Audiences who are new to Green Lantern might not be aware that Hal Jordan is only one of a force of thousands, all of whom have the title of Green Lantern.
Mark Strong, who stars as one of their leaders, Sinestro, was drawn to the film’s thematic issues. “I’m intrigued by the notion of the balance between fear and will. This is a story about what you can achieve, and overcome, if you put your mind to it, and it’s told in a really dynamic, electrifying way.”
“I think people love to see characters who have the courage to go up against the forces of evil on a grand scale, and not succumb, but become, that hero we all wish we had inside of us,” Peter Sarsgaard, who plays Hector Hammond, attests.
“I’ve wanted to write a superhero film for a very long time,” writer and producer Greg Berlanti says. “I grew up loving comic books. As a kid I found Green Lantern so thrilling because he’s one of the few who goes off-planet. He was plucked from here and brought amongst the stars to protect the Earth, so for me and my friends, he represented real wish fulfillment. Through those stories, we got to see the entire universe.”
“…Let those who worship evil’s might, beware my power—Green Lantern’s light!” — Hal Jordan
These words complete the Green Lantern oath—the vow taken by each of the Lanterns in the cosmos who have sworn to serve and protect—words that aficionados of the character have known by heart for years, and that moviegoers will hear for the very first time this summer when they are spoken by new inductee, Hal Jordan.
“The oath is extremely important,” Campbell says. “It has always been part of Green Lantern lore and when we first hear it in the film, it’s a pivotal moment. Hal’s just been given the ring and the lantern, and he doesn’t know what either of them means, until they come together and draw the oath out of him, and his voyage of discovery begins.”
For the uninitiated, the oath, along with the lantern and ring, are the outward tools that provide a Green Lantern his powers; with them and with his own strength of will, he can create or do anything his mind can envision.
The character goes back over 70 years, first appearing in All-American Comics in 1940, and evolving over time. The Green Lantern Corps is a federation assigned to police the 3,600 sectors in the universe, overseen by an ancient race of immortals called the Guardians, who reside on the planet Oa. Most Lanterns are aliens, but of the six Earthbound members in DC Comics’ history (Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Raynor and Jade), Hal is arguably the most popular.
In 1959, writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane created Hal Jordan under the guidance of editor Julius Schwartz, reintroducing the character of Green Lantern to the world in Showcase #22, and earning their own title, Green Lantern, the following year. Unlike his more mystically bent predecessor, this new Green Lantern was a little more “sci-fi” as a member of an intergalactic police force comprised of numerous alien species, each with a ring that gave them extraordinary mental and physical abilities. Broome and Kane also created several of the main characters in Hal’s life who appear in the film, including Carol Ferris and Tom Kalmaku, and some of Hal’s family members.
After many years away from the Corps, Hal was brought back in 2005 by writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan van Sciver, in the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth and in the subsequent ongoing title. Their work reignited an interest in the comic that had been missing for some time, and garnered them both critical and commerical success. Johns, a self-described hardcore comic book fan since his youth and a co-producer on the film, felt the re-launch was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. “Prior to Green Lantern:
Rebirth, Hal Jordan was actually dead and buried and the Green Lantern Corps was no more. There was only one ring left,” he says. “When I took on the book, I really wanted to bring back the epic tales of Green Lantern and the Corps, and their role in the greater DC universe at large.”
As the readership grew, Johns decided to go back and tell Hal’s story “from an emotional point of view, and in a modern-day context.” The result was 2008’s publication Green Lantern: Secret Origin. “I created a storyline for new readers that related what made Hal who he is and how he became a member of the Corps.”
At the same time that Johns was penning Origin, the filmmakers were developing the motion picture, with Johns’ previous writings providing a good deal of inspiration.
“Our film is the Hal Jordan origin story,” De Line says. “In telling it, we wanted to be faithful and true to the spirit and the canon of Green Lantern, and Geoff’s body of work provided an ideal place to start.”
Just starting at the beginning, however, was not the only task at hand for writers Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green. “Unlike Superman or Batman, who most people are familiar with, Green Lantern isn’t part of the everyday vernacular…yet,” Green smiles. “We wanted to hold the audience’s hand and guide them as they got to meet this great character and see a place like Oa for the first time.”
Guggenheim was equally motivated. “I’m a huge comics fan going all the way back to before I could even read, and Green Lantern was one of the books I grew up with. He’s the first superhero I can remember, and he always remained a cool and provocative character for me. I couldn’t wait to bring his story to the screen.”
Green Lantern
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Temuera Morrison, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Clarke Duncan
Screenplay by: Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, Marc Guggenheim
Production Design by: Grant Major
Cinematography by: Dion Beebe
Film Editing by: Stuart Baird
Costume Design by: Ngila Dickson
Set Decoration by: Anne Kuljian
Art Direction by: François Audou, Andrew L. Jones, Iain McFadyen, Scott Plauche
Music by: James Newton Howard
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action.
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: June 17. 2011
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