Martin Campbell, who directed 2011's Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds, admitted the movie could have been better if Reynolds had done one specific thing. Despite its massive cast, including Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Tim Robbins, Angela Bassett, and Temuera Morrison, 2011's Green Lantern is considered one of the worst comic book movies ever. It holds an abysmal 25% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with just a 45% audience score, and has become the subject of countless Reynolds jokes.
Looking back at the film over 10 years later, director Martin Campbell has what he believes to be the perfect solution for how it could have been fixed and instead been a great film. Speaking exclusively to The Direct while promoting his upcoming film Cleaners, Campbell revealed exactly how Ryan Reynolds could have fixed Green Lantern.
Campbell admitted that, despite the film flopping, he and Reynolds had a great time making it. The director even said that it was "fair enough" for Reynolds to poke fun at the movie so often (Reynolds' Green Lantern jokes have turned out to hurt James Gunn's new DCU universe) because the final product turned out so poorly, but that he did "thoroughly enjoy working with him and with Blake Lively:"
"Oh, it's fair enough. You know, look, people didn't like it. It failed, right? I was the director, so, you know, obviously I take the heat for it, which is fine... But all I can say is, Ryan's a very funny guy, very fun. We actually had a terrific time on the film. I thoroughly enjoyed working with him and with Blake Lively. She was terrific as well. And he's always, he's got a great whip, you know, Ryan."
Although it was not received well, according to Campbell, Green Lantern "would have been great" if Reynolds had been the one to write the script, and if he could go back in time, he would have let the actor be the film's writer:
"In fact, I wish to God he had written the script, and it would have been great. But he's always taking jabs at it. And fair enough. Though, listen, it was a big success for him because he met Blake Lively."
Reynolds has proven how successful he can be as a writer, with the Deadpool titles being good examples of comic book movies that have benefited from him playing a role in penning the script.
It is worth mentioning that Green Lantern will be brought back to the big screen in James Gunn's upcoming Superman film, with Nathan Fillion portraying that universe's version of Guy Gardner.
With plans to expand upon Green Lantern by making an HBO show set in the new DCU, The Direct also asked Campbell if he had been approached regarding the upcoming series, which will star Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. "No, of course, they won't reach out to me," revealed Campbell, who doesn't expect to be included in Gunn's new universe.
Could Ryan Reynolds Have Fixed Green Lantern?
Knowing how successful and well-loved Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool scripts have been, it is unsurprising that Martin Campbell wishes the actor wrote the screenplay for 2011's Green Lantern.
Many will likely agree that Green Lantern's story was rather bland and that the vibe of the film was somewhat dull. As mentioned, the movie featured a star-studded cast with actors known for charisma, giving great performances, and making their characters relatable.
If Reynolds had written the script, it is hard to imagine the film would have been anything less than successful. It may not have been the most superb superhero flick of all time, but it definitely wouldn't be considered as flawed as it is now.
When Green Lantern is boiled down, its main issues stem from the script, so Campbell is likely right that the film would have been very different if Reynolds had been the main writer.
Knowing Reynolds' style, the film would have had more humor and heart while dealing with deep and heavy themes, which has been the recipe for success for many comic book movies (the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the Deadpool titles).
