2011's Green Lantern movie, which famously starred Ryan Reynolds as the titular character, is widely considered one of the worst comic book movies and superhero adaptations of all time, and many have tried to forget that it even exists. However, there are a few elements that were included in the film that need to be brought back in the DCU's upcoming Lanterns TV show. As mentioned, Reynolds' Green Lantern movie has never been particularly loved. Few and far between, though, there are some decent scenes, and the movie at least got a few things right throughout its runtime.
The DCU's Lanterns project is set to be released in August 2026. Although it is relatively close to premiering, a lot of details about the series have been kept under wraps. Notably, the first public teaser for the project was recently released, and many fans had mixed reactions to it.
The Green Lantern Corps is a galactic law enforcement agency that consists of aliens, and it centers around characters who have incredible superpowers. However, Lanterns seems to be a more grounded story that will largely take place on Earth, and it will most definitely be an R-rated title.
In more ways than one, it seems as though it will be drastically different from Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern movie, which is a good thing. However, it still needs to bring in some of the better elements of that movie.
Three Green Lantern Elements That Need to Be in Lanterns
Outer Space
As mentioned, one of the core aspects of the Green Lantern Corps is that it is not confined to Earth or one single planet. Instead, the agency protects and serves all different planets, so naturally, outer space is a big part of the Green Lantern Corps story.
2011's Green Lantern showcased multiple planets within the world of DC, and tried to lean into the source material's intergalactic elements. This is something that Lanterns absolutely needs to bring back, instead of just taking place on Earth. Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, who is a Green Lantern, already appeared in Superman and Peacemaker Season 2. Both of those projects largely took place on Earth, especially when it came to Guy's scenes.
The upcoming show is expected to mostly be set on Earth, but it also needs to at least try to implement some other planets or outer space. If it doesn't, that would mean at least one Green Lantern will have been in three DCU projects without other planets or space being a focus, which is highly unnatural for the Green Lantern Corps.
Alien Lanterns
Most of the more popular DC superheroes are human, and that is no exception for Green Lanterns. Guy Gardner is a human, and he has already been established in the franchise. Lanterns will establish Aaron Pierre’s Jon Stewart and Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan as other Lanterns, and they are also humans.
A lot of major members of the Green Lantern Corps are aliens. For example, Kilowog, Tomar Re, and Sinestro are all names many DC fans are familiar with, and it would be a shame if they weren't included in the HBO Max series.
While Reynolds' Green Lantern was highly criticized, many fans at least enjoyed seeing some of those alien Lanterns in the movie, and specifically their dynamic with each other and Hal Jordan. Lanterns needs to introduce and establish at least one or two of the main alien members of the Corps, as they will most likely have roles in other projects in the future.
Other Lantern Colors
The Green Lanterns are the most popular of the Lanterns, but they are not alone. There are other Lantern colors under the DC umbrella, and in the source material, they come into play in a major way. For example, the comics include a Yellow Lantern Corps, as well as a Red Lantern Corps.
The Yellow Lantern Corps is also known as the Sinestro Corps, as Sinestro was the one who founded it after getting his yellow Lantern ring. Sinestro has been confirmed to have a role in Lanterns (he will be played by Ulrich Thomsen), so the show needs to feature him getting his yellow ring and showcase him starting the Sinestro Corps.
Paul Ben-Victor is another actor who has been cast in Lanterns. He is playing a character named Antaan, who is supposed to be an extraterrestrial antagonist. However, many believe that he will turn into a supervillain known as Atrocitus in the upcoming show.
In the comics, Atrocitus started the Red Lantern Corps. If Antaan does become Atrocitus, the show needs to include the Red Lanterns and establish that there are other colors, just as Ryan Reynolds' movie did with Sinestro and the Yellow Lanterns.
