HBO’s Series ‘Green Lantern’ Is Still On Track?

Warner Bros. has scrapped their planned Green Lantern series that was scheduled to debut on their upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, according to a new report from Deadline. The show was pitched as one of the tentpole series for the service – set to air alongside Titans and Doom Patrol – but it seems like DC Studios head James Gunn has decided not to move forward with the project. Gunn explained this decision in an interview with Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr., saying that he does not want any of his upcoming projects “to be just green.” He provided no further details about what this means for the future of DC projects on HBO Max or elsewhere. The series was developed by Greg Berlanti of Arrow fame. When it was initially announced, the series would have focused on Guy Gardner and Alan Scott, with Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine in the roles respectively. 

Why did these series get canceled? 

In the past decade, a trend has emerged in DC Comics television series. In 2017, with their series Constantine on NBC and Titans on TNT, the creators of these shows have taken some liberties with their source material. Geoff Johns and Greg Berlanti have that same mindset when it comes to Green Lantern. While the characters are popular in comics, they are much less so in movies and TV, so they have been re-imagined so that they fit better into a modern setting. With Doom Patrol being set up in a way that mirrors its comic book origins – it is an unlikely bunch of characters who come together to save superheroes – Green Lantern was supposed to be the same.

About Green Lantern: 

Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers and are organized into an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps. The first Green Lantern character, Alan Scott, was created in 1940 by Martin Nodell during the initial popularity of superheroes. Alan Scott usually fought common criminals in New York City with the aid of his magic ring. After World War Two, the popularity of superheroes in general declined, but the Green Lantern continued to be published and gained its fan base, especially with young readers with his comedic adventures. In 1959, an extraterrestrial Green Lantern named Hal Jordan acquired his ring and joined the Green Lantern Corps. Hal Jordan becomes one of DC Comics’ most popular characters and remains the primary Green Lantern throughout later decades. Following the events of DC Rebirth, there have been multiple Green Lanterns featured across different stories. 

What makes this series interesting? 

Green Lantern, a DC Comics character, was created by Martin Nodell and made his first appearance in All-American Comics (1940). The Green Lantern character has been featured in many films, video games, television shows, and other forms of media. As the Green Lantern Corps is organized into an interstellar military service with each member wearing a specific colored Lantern Power Ring, there have been numerous members who carry the name Green Lantern in the comic books. DC Comics lists seven official members as well as one unofficial member: Alan Scott (the first), Hal Jordan (the most famous), Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, and Jessica Cruz. The Corps is supervised by a being called the Guardians of the Universe.