Editor's Note: Hank McCoy (Before the Fur) author Tedd is undergoing surgery today, so needless to say his mind isn't really on comics right now. Unless the surgery goes horribly wrong and he's given the gift of flight. That being said, his column should be back next week. This week, let's delve into the recently announced (but unconfirmed) Green Lantern casting call list.
The reorganization over at DC (into DC Entertainment) was done primarily to make money. No sense in beating around the bush there. Warner Brothers saw how succesful Marvel has been with their movies, and
The Dark Knight raking in the cash proved to them that yes, people do care about DC characters (when done right). While the supposed Justice League movie crashed and burned before even getting of the ground other characters have seen movies in development. Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman and Green Lantern.
Ryan Reynolds beat out Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake (supposedly) for the role of Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern. Beyond that there really hasn't been much news on the film. No story. No script. Definitely not any casting news. Until now.
Spoiler TV has posted what they think is the first official casting call and plot details from the film. The roles include Carol Ferris, Dr. Hector Hammond, Sinestro and Abin Sur. Below is the official list from the site.
[CAROL FERRIS]
26-32, a smart and attractive woman with an MBA. She started as a pilot and now runs Ferris Aircraft. She is a work-a-holic...FEMALE LEAD
[DR. HECTOR HAMMOND]
27-35, Character actor who is austere and impersonal, he is real "scummy." He is a pathologist and also the son of a Senator.
[SINESTRO]
Mid-30s to Mid-40s, he is smart, tough, intimidating and in great physical shape.
[ABIN SUR]
Mid-30s to mid-40s, he is a great warrior
Now this list may or may not be true. If it is true, I think it's safe to say that the movie will be an origin story. Hal's in love with Carol, Abin Sur crashes and gives Hal the ring. Sinestro trains Hal. Carol turns into Star Sapphire. Hector is background. Hal fights Carol under the control of Hector, while Sinestro turns bad at the end to set up the sequel. The question becomes who will play each role?
Let's dive in shall we?
Carol Ferris is also known as Star Sapphire, long-time love interest of Hal Jordan and part-time supervillain. She serves as the Vice President of Ferris Aircraft, and upon hiring Jordan is immediately smitten. Needless to say this romance hit a rock when she was crowned Star Sapphire by the Zamarons. Since the Zamarons weren't too keen on the Guardians of the Universe, they viewed her relationship with Jordan as an opportunity to get at them through him. Their fights usually end up with Green Lantern winning, and Star Sapphire reverting to Carol Ferris form.
Casting Carol Ferris is tough. You have to find an actress hot enough in order to convince you that she would be dating Reynolds/Jordan. The easy choice would be his real life wife Scarlett Johansson, and that's a choice that I'm sure none of us would have any problem with. However this role could be a breakout role for the right female lead. That being said, I'm throwing my vote in for Olivia Wilde. She's definitely got the look to pull of a savvy and sophisticated VP. And when it came time to transform into Star Sapphire, she would look completely legit.
Dr. Hector Hammond wasn't always a doctor. Starting off as a petty criminal on the run, Hammond discovers a meteor and promptly exposes four kidnapped scientists to it. As a result of their evolved intellect (and aided by their devolved will) Hammond forces them to create inventions that make him rich. Hal Jordan investigates him and tries to trick him, leaving his friend Thomas Kalmaku a cimpanzee in the process. Eventually Hammond exposes his body to the meteor's radiation and gets a healthy does of psionic powers and immortality, but he loses the ability to move and speak.
The right person (in my mind) to play Hammond would be Edgar Wright. I could see him pulling off the bumbling thief-turned-criminal mastermind pretty well. He's admittedly a big fan of comic books (his rumored attachment to the Ant-Man movie is proof enough) and he's got experience playing a monkey (Shaun of the Dead anyone?). Plus he's not too big a star (no offense Mr. Wright) that he would break the budget. Could he carry the film as presumably the lead villain? Of course he could. I could also see Ricky Gervais in this role as well.
Sinestro was an anthropologist and is now an intergalactic ruffian. His induction as a Lantern was under dubious circumstances (he took the ring of a dying Lantern to protect them from a pursuer, and when the other Lantern didn't die and asked for the ring back Sinestro kept it). Initially considered one of the greatest Green Lanterns, Sinestro became more and more fixated on protecting his own planet Korugar. He served as a mentor to Hal Jordan upon his joining the Green Lantern Corps, however his totalitarian control style didn't sit too well with Hal. Upon alerting the other Lanterns to his woeful ways, Sinestro was forced to appear before the Guardians for punishment.
Ioan Gruffudd would make a perfect Sinestro. He's already played Mr. Fantastic in the two Fantastic Four movies, and with the reboot not likely to feature the original cast there's a comic book sized hole in his career right now that Sinestro would be perfect to fill. Not to mention he's already lent his voice to Justice League as the voice of Mr. Miracle. He has the right build and face for the role of Sinestro and I could easily see him as a convincing anthropologist desperate to protect his home planet.
Abin Sur is probably the only member on this list that isn't a villain (and the reason for this movie). Sur fought with ancestors of Hal Jordan in earlier time periods, and while on patrol one day is attacked and pursued by Legion. He makes an emergency landing on Earth (the nearest planet) and realizes that he doesn't have much longer. After ruling out Clark Kent for the ring (he's not a native of Earth) he gives the ring to Hal Jordan as his replacement.
I'll just get this one out the way right now: Samuel L. Jackson. Assuming the story plays out as above his part would be minimal anyway and would really only set up the Green Lantern universe with Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern. Jackson could fly the ship (he already has experience with intergalactic transports thanks to Star Wars), crash and lay dying. All the while passing the ring onto Hal. Who wouldn't want to see Reynolds and Jackson on screen together?
There you have it. Four possible casting call parts, four possible actors for the roles. I have no clue as to whether any or all of this will pan out, or even if the roles advertised are indeed open spots in the film. Part of the fun of hearsay and conjecture is speculation, which is definitely running rampant here. Stay tuned.
Editor's Note: Hank McCoy (Before the Fur) author Tedd is undergoing surgery today, so needless to say his mind isn't really on comics right now. Unless the surgery goes horribly wrong and he's given the gift of flight. That being said, his column should be back next week. This week, let's delve into the recently announced (but unconfirmed) Green Lantern casting call list.
The reorganization over at DC (into DC Entertainment) was done primarily to make money. No sense in beating around the bush there. Warner Brothers saw how succesful Marvel has been with their movies, and The Dark Knight raking in the cash proved to them that yes, people do care about DC characters (when done right). While the supposed Justice League movie crashed and burned before even getting of the ground other characters have seen movies in development. Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman and Green Lantern.
Ryan Reynolds beat out Bradley Cooper and Justin Timberlake (supposedly) for the role of Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern. Beyond that there really hasn't been much news on the film. No story. No script. Definitely not any casting news. Until now. Spoiler TV has posted what they think is the first official casting call and plot details from the film. The roles include Carol Ferris, Dr. Hector Hammond, Sinestro and Abin Sur. Below is the official list from the site.
[CAROL FERRIS]
26-32, a smart and attractive woman with an MBA. She started as a pilot and now runs Ferris Aircraft. She is a work-a-holic...FEMALE LEAD
[DR. HECTOR HAMMOND]
27-35, Character actor who is austere and impersonal, he is real "scummy." He is a pathologist and also the son of a Senator.
[SINESTRO]
Mid-30s to Mid-40s, he is smart, tough, intimidating and in great physical shape.
[ABIN SUR]
Mid-30s to mid-40s, he is a great warrior
Now this list may or may not be true. If it is true, I think it's safe to say that the movie will be an origin story. Hal's in love with Carol, Abin Sur crashes and gives Hal the ring. Sinestro trains Hal. Carol turns into Star Sapphire. Hector is background. Hal fights Carol under the control of Hector, while Sinestro turns bad at the end to set up the sequel. The question becomes who will play each role?
Let's dive in shall we?
Carol Ferris is also known as Star Sapphire, long-time love interest of Hal Jordan and part-time supervillain. She serves as the Vice President of Ferris Aircraft, and upon hiring Jordan is immediately smitten. Needless to say this romance hit a rock when she was crowned Star Sapphire by the Zamarons. Since the Zamarons weren't too keen on the Guardians of the Universe, they viewed her relationship with Jordan as an opportunity to get at them through him. Their fights usually end up with Green Lantern winning, and Star Sapphire reverting to Carol Ferris form.
Casting Carol Ferris is tough. You have to find an actress hot enough in order to convince you that she would be dating Reynolds/Jordan. The easy choice would be his real life wife Scarlett Johansson, and that's a choice that I'm sure none of us would have any problem with. However this role could be a breakout role for the right female lead. That being said, I'm throwing my vote in for Olivia Wilde. She's definitely got the look to pull of a savvy and sophisticated VP. And when it came time to transform into Star Sapphire, she would look completely legit.
Dr. Hector Hammond wasn't always a doctor. Starting off as a petty criminal on the run, Hammond discovers a meteor and promptly exposes four kidnapped scientists to it. As a result of their evolved intellect (and aided by their devolved will) Hammond forces them to create inventions that make him rich. Hal Jordan investigates him and tries to trick him, leaving his friend Thomas Kalmaku a cimpanzee in the process. Eventually Hammond exposes his body to the meteor's radiation and gets a healthy does of psionic powers and immortality, but he loses the ability to move and speak.
The right person (in my mind) to play Hammond would be Edgar Wright. I could see him pulling off the bumbling thief-turned-criminal mastermind pretty well. He's admittedly a big fan of comic books (his rumored attachment to the Ant-Man movie is proof enough) and he's got experience playing a monkey (Shaun of the Dead anyone?). Plus he's not too big a star (no offense Mr. Wright) that he would break the budget. Could he carry the film as presumably the lead villain? Of course he could. I could also see Ricky Gervais in this role as well.
Sinestro was an anthropologist and is now an intergalactic ruffian. His induction as a Lantern was under dubious circumstances (he took the ring of a dying Lantern to protect them from a pursuer, and when the other Lantern didn't die and asked for the ring back Sinestro kept it). Initially considered one of the greatest Green Lanterns, Sinestro became more and more fixated on protecting his own planet Korugar. He served as a mentor to Hal Jordan upon his joining the Green Lantern Corps, however his totalitarian control style didn't sit too well with Hal. Upon alerting the other Lanterns to his woeful ways, Sinestro was forced to appear before the Guardians for punishment.
Ioan Gruffudd would make a perfect Sinestro. He's already played Mr. Fantastic in the two Fantastic Four movies, and with the reboot not likely to feature the original cast there's a comic book sized hole in his career right now that Sinestro would be perfect to fill. Not to mention he's already lent his voice to Justice League as the voice of Mr. Miracle. He has the right build and face for the role of Sinestro and I could easily see him as a convincing anthropologist desperate to protect his home planet.
Abin Sur is probably the only member on this list that isn't a villain (and the reason for this movie). Sur fought with ancestors of Hal Jordan in earlier time periods, and while on patrol one day is attacked and pursued by Legion. He makes an emergency landing on Earth (the nearest planet) and realizes that he doesn't have much longer. After ruling out Clark Kent for the ring (he's not a native of Earth) he gives the ring to Hal Jordan as his replacement.
I'll just get this one out the way right now: Samuel L. Jackson. Assuming the story plays out as above his part would be minimal anyway and would really only set up the Green Lantern universe with Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern. Jackson could fly the ship (he already has experience with intergalactic transports thanks to Star Wars), crash and lay dying. All the while passing the ring onto Hal. Who wouldn't want to see Reynolds and Jackson on screen together?
There you have it. Four possible casting call parts, four possible actors for the roles. I have no clue as to whether any or all of this will pan out, or even if the roles advertised are indeed open spots in the film. Part of the fun of hearsay and conjecture is speculation, which is definitely running rampant here. Stay tuned.
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