Last Updated on August 3, 2021
With AQUAMAN bringing the DCEU into a new era, Warner Bros still needs to cast the new iteration of the GREEN LANTERN franchise. While GREEN LANTERN CORPS appears to still be in development, we have yet to see or hear a confirmed star attached to the project. Since there have been multiple heroes to don the Lantern ring over the years, the possibilities are wide open as to who could headline the feature film. Here are ten candidates who we envision leading the galaxy through brightest day and darkest night. If you disagree with our picks or think we missed one, let us know in the comments below.
Mahershala Ali
This guy can do it all. Just run down his career over the last five years and see if you can name an actor with a more varied and dynamic resume: True Detective, GREEN BOOK, House of Cards, Marvel's Luke Cage, SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, Moonlight, and that isn't even all of his roles. Ali can play virtually any accent, is adept at playing good and bad guys, and has no fear when it comes to any role. With ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL on the horizon, we know he is capable of playing in a CGI wonderland, so why not put him at the forefront of a major superhero film?
Armie Hammer
While his name has more often been associated with Batman, I think Armie Hammer would be better suited to play Hal Jordan. He definitely has the physique to play any superhero and I think he has the gravitas to be a great Bruce Wayne, but his sarcastic attitude and ability to play fast and loose in movies like FREE FIRE and THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. shows that he has the personality to make a great Hal Jordan. Plus, we have already seen him go toe to toe with Henry Cavill so it would definitely look good on the big screen.
Luke Evans
Luke Evans has been in everything from epic blockbuster spectacles for Peter Jackson to small thrillers and Disney musicals. While his DRACULA UNTOLD franchise never panned out, he still has the sex appeal and presence to play a killer superhero. Well, he may need to shave that mustache of his but I would be willing to bet DC may be okay with it once they see him don the green suit.
Idris Elba
Idris Elba has been associated with playing virtually every major movie character regardless of which race the character used to be. His latest role in HOBBS AND SHAW shows he can hang with the baddest of asses and is nowhere near too old for a major action film full of CGI. I would love to see him play a superhero like Green Lantern but I wouldn't say no to seeimg him play Sinestro, either.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt has been much more selective in his roles in recent years but it is his turn in Quentin Tarantino's INGLORIOUS BASTERDS that convinces me he should be in GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Aldo Raine is a strong military leader who is not afraid to go all in with his troops even if his life is on the line. If Tom Cruise is not willing to be killed off in a film, I would be willing to bet Pitt would go for it. As one of the older actors on this list, Pitt has enough talent that he could serve as a nice transition from one generation to the next.
Timothy Olyphant
Aiming a little older, Timothy Olyphant has played everything from hero cowboy to drug dealers to anti-heroes in his long career. His age puts him right in the sweet spot where he could play younger or older but still carry the film on his own. Olyphant has long been overdue for a chance at adapting a famous franchise to the big screen (we shall not speak of HITMAN) and this could be a safe ensemble for him to play in.
Daniel Kaluuya
Another Jon Stewart contender, Daniel Kaluuya has made a big name for himself thanks to GET OUT and a supporting role in BLACK PANTHER. But, what makes me think he would make a great Lantern is his performance in WIDOWS. There is an edge and darkness that Kaluuya can tap into that would make him a great fit for the Lantern Corps and maybe foreshadow a potential alliance with Sinestro. Better yet, maybe this is your Sinestro right here.
John Boyega
While Boyega still has some STAR WARS left in him, his youth and versatility as a performer bodes well for taking on a superhero franchise. While PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING fell short of expectations, it did show that Boyega is more than capable of shouldering a lead role. Putting him in the role of John Stewart would give DC a potential run of several films with Boyega in the lead.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has long been rumored as a potential star for GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Those rumors include his JACK REACHER director Christopher McQuarrie being involved, too. The latest rumors have Cruise passing on the project due to his Hal Jordan being killed off during the movie. Clearly, you don't cast Cruise to kill him off, but seeing an established Lantern in a film would be a cool way to go. That would also allow multiple Lanterns in the same film. Still, Cruise is such a big name, I doubt he would do it unless he was insanely passionate about the character.
John Krasinski
With his celebrity at an all time high thanks to his Prime series Jack Ryan and his directing duties on A QUIET PLACE, John Krasinski is looking like a contender for a superhero role in the near future. While he auditioned for both Captain America and Star Lord and has been buzzed as a potential Mr Fantastic, playing Hal Jordan could be a perfect fit. Krasinski's everyman quality would combat Ryan Reynolds' smarmy approach to the character and could make him the next big DC frachise.
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