New reports revealed that Josh Brolin (Thanos in the MCU) may have been offered a key role in James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC universe.
The DCU's roster of heroes has been steadily growing. The upcoming Superman movie will debut David Corenswet as the titular hero, Isabella Merced as Hawkgirl, and Milly Alcock as Supergirl among others.
As Superman continues in post-production, though, fans may start hearing some official casting announcements for other upcoming DC projects as well.
Josh Brolin Reportedly Offered DC Role
Industry insider Jeff Sneider corroborated a previous report from Nexus Point News revealing that Josh Brolin may have been offered the role of Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) in the new DCU.
Reportedly, Brolin was offered the role on Friday, Aug. 30, but has not responded yet.
This potential casting likely comes as a surprise to many Green Lantern fans, as Hal Jordan is typically seen as a younger hero. But, Sneider reported that it seems Hal's role in the upcoming Lanterns show will be "a bit gruff and 'too old for this shit'" instead.
Reportedly, "DC is looking to go younger" when it comes to casting John Stewart, allowing for a potential mentor-mentee relationship between the two protagonists.
Brolin is an Oscar-nominated actor, and no stranger to superhero movies, having already played Thanos in the MCU and Cable in Deadpool 2. He would not be the only actor to have roles in both companies' cinematic universes, but he is the one with the largest role on the MCU side of things.
Would Josh Brolin's Hal Jordan Be Comic- Accurate?
If Brolin does end up playing Hal Jordan, his take on the role would intrinsically be very different from what fans usually see from the character.
More often than not, Hal Jordan is a younger hero who is more obnoxious than he is "gruff." The Green Lantern butts heads with Batman, and has fun with the Flash, but knows how to step up when things get serious. He is a Green Lantern after all, his willpower is legendary.
The possible characterization of Hal Jordan as "a bit gruff and 'too old for this shit,'" though, does not come out of nowhere.
Hal's history in the comics is long — he was the first Green Lantern on Earth (not counting Alan Scott, who was a different type of Green Lantern).
He has been on many teams and worked with many new Earth Green Lanterns over the years. There would be a reasonable rationale behind him becoming a bit more jaded as he grew older.
Plus, in Issue #3 of The Human Target by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, there is a brief cameo from someone taking on the appearance of an older Hal Jordan. This is a small cameo, and likely not a significant point of inspiration, but it is worth noting — especially given Tom King's heavy involvement in the new DCU.
Lanterns does not currently have a release date, but the first project in the new DCU, Creature Commandos, hits Max in December.
Gillian Blum has been a writer at The Direct since 2022, reporting primarily from New York City. Though she covers news from across the entertainment industry, Gillian has a particular focus on Marvel and DC, including comics, movies, and television shows. She also commonly reports on Percy Jackson, Invincible, and other similar franchises.
