Dreamcasting # 20: Green Lantern: Intergalactic Law Enforcement

[bluebeast]

Ok, Green Lantern. Superman's the straight super hero story, Batman's the crime drama, Flash is the zappy action film. Green Lantern's the cop movie, I think that's agreed upon by everyone. I want this to be a movie about the main three, Hal, John and Kyle with the other GL's supporting along the way. Since the film involves half of the main cast to wear heavy make-up, prostetics, cgi I picked people who have voices that are fantastic for epic stortelling.

So here we go, Green Lantern Corps:

Hal Jordan: Jim Caviezel

When picking Hal Jordan for a Green Lantern trilogy (sorry Ourchair this is too epic to be just a TV show,) you need an actor who can carry the presence of being the greatest Green Lantern of them all. Hal Jordan is a man conflicted by past troubles and only wants to make the universe a better place. Jordan's a humble man, but the main aspect of him is that he's completely fearless, and inspires fearlessness in his fellow Lanterns. Jordan's the most important person in the movie to cast, so therefor you need a huge actor to play him. Jim Caviezel isn't known for anything other than playing Jesus in the Passion, but some other roles like in Deja Vu prooves that he's not a one-trick pony. I pick Caviezel as Jordan because I not only think Caviezel should get more work, I think Hal Jordan needs an actor of his status.

John Stewart: Derek Luke

The young, brash upstart who joined the Corps because of his skills on the battle field, Stewart's more hated by the other Lanterns because of his 'bad attitude'. Stewarts not the young angry black man, he's just angry at the world for something bad that happened to him years ago on Earth. Emerging in the Denzel Washington film Antwone Fisher, Derek Luke has kind of skimmed the surface since then. He has an experience in war movies and has an edge to him that can bring the young Corps member to life.

Kyle Rayner: Josh Hartnett

The film starts just like the Green Lantern origin of Hal Jordan, except it's Kyle getting the ring from Abin Sur. Kyle's the youngest member of the Corps and as such is supposed to act like the struggling rookie trying to live up to the name of the great Lantern who gave him the ring. Josh Hartnett has been my choice to play Kyle for a long time, mostly because his roles always seem to have a certain flair to them. I think he has a very innocent way of playing his roles and can also bring the artistic heart that's needed to play Kyle. And he also played the young artistic rookie cop in Hollywood Homicide with Harrison Ford.

Sinestro: Alan Rickman

I decided Alan Rickman would much more suit the role of strict authoritarian of the Corps instead of who I had picked. Imagine Rickman all painted up as bringer of doom for the Corps. Rickman has that look of being the champion who has it all before Hal Jordan brings it all down on top of him. Sinestro has to be a leader in order to rally the Sinestro Corps against the Green Lantern Corps. Plus Sinestro should be British, the prick.

Guy Gardner: Timothy Olyphant

Guy Gardner's Rude, cocky and a total jackass. He's the least popular of the Lanterns and doesn't exactly help the human members of the Corps gain any recognition. Gardner's the one who gets his ring yanked away from him by the Guardians but comes back to help save the day when Sinestro attacks. Timothy Olyphant can play jackasses, plain and simple. All that matters is how he would look in a bullcut.

Kilowog: Brad Garrett

Forgoing the use of Michael Clark Duncan who is used literally every round, I'm going with the lighter and bigger Brad Garrett. He's going to be in heavy makeup. prostetics or cgi so he needs to be a character with a commanding voice. Kilowog's the only alien member of the Corps who accepts Jordan and the other Earth Lanterns. He's a tactical genius but he's also a gifted mechanic. Garrett's fantastic in anything he's in. I think he can put a little more serious face on for this and be the best Kilowog.

Katma Tui: Parminder Nagra

Katma Tui is the young and obediant apprentance to Sinestro. Much like Kyle Rayner is to Hal Jordan. She's well mannered and very by the book, but she doesn't agree with how SInestro treats their planet. She's the one who makes the tough decision to stand by her building romance Stewart and the other Lanterns when Sinestro turns. Bend it Like Beckham and ER star Nagra is a talented actress who needs some more high profile roles to elevate her. Plus I don't want another steriotypical Japanese or Korean actress to play the tough martial arts girl so I went with an Indian girl. Also she'll be purple.

Isamot Kol: Keith David

Isamot Kol is a warrior who's felt a lot of oppresion in his life, mainly at the hands of the humaniod Rannians. As such he's gained a biased against the human Lanterns. Coming at blows with Guy Gardner most of the time, Kol will still have a sense of duty and truthfullness to him. He'll stand with the Lanterns against Sinestro when he realizes it's the right thing to do. Keith David's one of the best voice actors in the buiss. He'll bring that dark tone to the character and make him a menacing noble warrior.

Abin Sur: Morgan Freeman

Abin Sur dies near the beginning of teh film, giving Kyle Rayner the power ring. But he'll appear throughout the film during flashbacks to Hal Jordan's original training. He's one of the wisest of the Lantern's but gets little respect for choosing a human as his replacement. Morgan Freeman's got the best voice in Hollywood and he's always the mentor to the young hero of the story. I think he'll be the one who gives Jordan the inspiration to fight when he really needs it. Plus Freeman played God so should therefor be allowed to play any part he wants.

Tomar Re: Doug Jones

Tomar Re is the other member of the old guard of Lanterns who helps to mentor his young apprentance Stewart. Re won't talk much but will show some of teh greatest skills and abilities on the battlefield. Doug Jones has such a way with body movement that it's almost like he's dancing when he performs. He also is no stranger to prostetics and has kind of an avian look to him already.

And I'm spent.

 

[thee great one]

I don't like your Jordon but the rest of the cast rules with a couple of iffy ones.


I almost was going to choice the same one for Kyle.

 

[bluebeast]

I don't like your Jordon but the rest of the cast rules with a couple of iffy ones.


I almost was going to choice the same one for Kyle.

I still think he'd be good for the role. It'd be a little different from the comics version but he's still very close to Hal Jordan's character.

 

[thee great one]

GREEN LANTERN CORPS

Now my idea is 4 movies.

The first details the fall of Sinestro and the rise of Jordon.

The 2nd would introduce John and Guy. Along with Fatality.

The 3rd would have the 3 GL's locked away. Maybe captured on the War World of Mongul with Sinestro's help. The guardian's choose Rayner to help them.

The 4th would the full blown Sinestro Corps War. With different members, than the comic, but still.

Hal Jordan - Mark Wahlberg

I'm trying to go for a Lantern that is older than the other 3 and is more established later than them. Someone who was an officer in the air force and nows how to kick ***. Wahlberg could pull this off. With an haircut and clean shaven.

John Stewart - Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

It's impossible to find a stewart, But I think he will work better than my other choices.

Kyle Rayner - Ian Somerhalder

I almost didn't want to pick up and opted to do Ben Foster instead, but I decided he would make a good rookie. Young and native to the Corps.

Guy Gardner - Ben Foster

Now one thing that bugs me about the human GL's in that they are all from the U.S.

So I went with my original choice. Guy is a dick. There is no way around that fact. If anyone has seen Foster's performance in 3:10 To Yuma. He's a dick, a dick that can act. Who knew?

Kilowog - Powers Boothe

He would be a combination of make-up and CGI. I once again go with my first thought, Imagine the voice of Grodd from JLU coming from Kilowog and he's big enough.

Katma Tui - Keira Knightley

The tough vixen of the GL. Knightley is no stranger to action movies and being dead sexy while doing it.

Isamot Kol - Crispin Glover

The criminal with the chance of redemption. I think him and Yat would be partners. He can be very reptile like.

Sodam Yat - Vinnie Jones

The Green Lantern created by Alan Moore with Superman level powers. The one destined to be the greatest GL of them all. Vinnie Jones can play a very cocky one. Imagine Vinnie Jones with a power ring and the powers of Superman. Oh yes. Imagine Glover and Jones kicking *** across the universe.

Abin Sur - Bruce Willis

He wouldn't have a big part. But this would be important. Willis is plastered in make-up, dying, and giving the ring to a younger Walhberg.
​

 

[thee great one]

The Villains

Sinestro - Jeremy Irons

Screw what he looks like. Just imagine Scar's voice from The Lion King coming from Sinestro and you see why I choose him.

Fatality - Megan Fox

I added this for another villain. The last remaining survivor of her race after were killed by an accident of Stewart. Fox killing GL's with a giant staff sounds like greatness to me. Plus a cat fight between her and Knightley would be epic.

Mongul - Bill Goldberg

Now before you go the whole wrestlers can't act on me. He wouldn't have to do much but be big and menacing which is what he is. And he can act somewhat if you seen The Longest Yard. I just want him the huge powerhouse that rises to power being due that he's stronger than everyone.


The Guardians

They would be all CGI. But the voices are what I want.

The Guardians - Malcolm McDowell, Liam Neeson, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Terence Stamp
​

 

[ourchair]

Bass, where'd you get the idea to use Peter Falk?

PETER FALK!!!!! :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

it's too much like the T-X from TERMINATOR 3; it's not creative or smart. Let me explain quickly; one of the reasons I knew T3 would suck was when I heard the T-X could make 'anything' because it was made of energy. What made the T-1000 so brilliant was that it couldn't do anything. It had all this rules: it had to retain the same mass, couldn't form chemicals, moving parts. It could only make stabbing weapons – and it was terrifying. The T-X on the other hand, could do anything and became banal: why doesn't she just turn into a bomb and explode and kill John Connor? She can. Why not shoot him with a grenade launcher? She can. She's too powerful and too dull.

I was pretty sure they made it clear --- in both promotional material and the film itself --- that the T-X CAN'T become a bomb or whatever.

In fact, they made it clear that the T-X wasn't 'made of energy' --- I have no idea where you got that from, though it might have been an earlier conceptualization for her --- or any other nonsense like that, and it couldn't shape-shift into non-human forms like the T-1000 because it was 'liquid metal over endoskeleton'. Which meant that she could enhance her bust, but she couldn't meld herself to the ceiling.

Just saying is all.

Samuel L Jackson is JOHN STEWART.
While it would be bizarrely appropriate to cast Danny Glover, Samuel L Jackson is much more of an action hero. Samuel L Jackson's incredible style will elevate this secondary character to a much more prominent and engaging role by making him so much more fun. John Stewart is a very by-the-book Green Lantern, in contrast with Hal and Kyle. Such a trait though is generally very boring, but Samuel L Jackson can take the stoic leader and turn him into a complete badass. He already turned a boring character like this into gold: Mace Windu. Mace Windu isn't cool. He doesn't do or say anything cool. But Samuel L Jackson just turned him into an icon that feels at home with 30 years of continuity.

Great logic. Samuel L. Jackson has always been able to sell the idea of 'I follow the rules, I know the game' without compromising the cool. He makes it possible for straight-lacedness to NOT contradict any wicked awesome personality his character might have been born with.

I can't really come up with all that many specific comments about the casting, but i think it's brilliant. You've said elsewhere that you prefer to throw in big names. I'm normally not too keen on stuffing to many big names, but that's only because I'm so ******* anal, that the chemistry between the names has to be right.

And here, you chose the RIGHT big names. They're all wonderful actors who sell the kind of film you've made here and who made career strides at roughly the same time.

They came from the time when the action movie was pretty straightforward --- Speed, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard --- and thus working under a certain kind of era for the Hollywood blockbuster... when Joel Silver and John McTiernan were the kings and not Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay.

Had you chosen just one person different --- like say, Lucy Liu as Katma Tui or Adam Baldwin as Guy Gardner --- it wouldn't be working on the same lines I mentioned above.

It really is an awesomely thought out cast.

Timothy Olyphant can play jackasses, plain and simple. All that matters is how he would look in a bullcut.

*******, I can already SEE him wearing the buzzcut in that picture. Excellent choice, bluebeast.

Forgoing the use of Michael Clark Duncan who is used literally every round, I'm going with the lighter and bigger Brad Garrett. He's going to be in heavy makeup. prostetics or cgi so he needs to be a character with a commanding voice. Kilowog's the only alien member of the Corps who accepts Jordan and the other Earth Lanterns. He's a tactical genius but he's also a gifted mechanic. Garrett's fantastic in anything he's in. I think he can put a little more serious face on for this and be the best Kilowog.

Also a wonderful choice. I think Brad Garrett has more range than he's given credit for. Sure, he did a lousy Jackie Gleeson biopic, but he was still great in it. I also thought his voice was great in Finding Nemo.

Bend it Like Beckham and ER star Nagra is a talented actress who needs some more high profile roles to elevate her. Plus I don't want another steriotypical Japanese or Korean actress to play the tough martial arts girl so I went with an Indian girl. Also she'll be purple.

Totally inspired reasoning, and props to giving Parminder Nagra more work.

Wow, this is awesome. I feel like people are really pulling out all the stops these days. VVD let me see some of his cast already. It is also fantabulous.

 

[Planet-man]

Usually I think Bass' cast is among the best but I'm not sure on it this round. I've got a few of the main's down(although now I see bluebeast has already used my Kilowog... screw it, I'm using him anyway) and might actually do a full cast this round.

 

[ourchair]

Usually I think Bass' cast is among the best but I'm not sure on it this round. I've got a few of the main's down(although now I see bluebeast has already used my Kilowog... screw it, I'm using him anyway) and might actually do a full cast this round.

I don't think there's actually ANY rule that's ever been made about not using other people's choices (nor do I think there should be). I think most people just do it because it seems like a semi-honorable thing to do, which I guess is cool if they don't want to copy each other and stuff.

However, I do object to the idea that Langsta has 'pre-emptively' cast Nathan Fillion and Chiwetel Ejiofor. If he wants to cast them, then fine cast them, but it's kinda silly to beat everyone else to the punch, regardless of whether or not he thinks it stops them from using them too.

 

[Victor Von Doom]

I came up with a totally believable cast yesterday in like 15 minutes.


Ourchair thought it was brilliant (save one character). Now I need to find the proper pics.

 

[Langsta]

Hal Jordan - James Purefoy, Adam Baldwin, or Matt Dillon

John Stewart - Taye Diggs

Kyle Rayner - Jared Leto
Not much reasoning behind this, other than the fact that I wanted a young, talented actor like Leto.

Guy Gardner - Cole Hauser or James Spader
I think Cole Hauser could pull off the badass-ness of Guy, but I think Spader would make a good GG-GL as well.

Alan Scott - Robert Redford
I decided to put in Alan Scott because he was the first GL, and I want the movies to explore the GL mythos.

Sinestro - Malcolm McDowell or Gabriel Byrne
For Sinestro I wanted the most evil person I could find. In this case, Malcolm McDowell comes to mind. However, I think Gabriel Byrne could pull this off just as well.

 

[Langsta]

Katma Tui or Jade - Shannyn Sossamon

Kilowog - Mickey Rourke or CG

Isamot Kol - Ray Stevenson or CG

Abin Sur - Leonard Nimoy
Just a nod to the Trekkies.

 

[ourchair]

Abin Sur - Leonard Nimoy
Just a nod to the Trekkies.

Leonard Nimoy as Abin Sur is ****ing awesome. Totally inspired choice.

 

[SSJmole]

Interesting choices Mole. Some are very iffy for me but I have to say I was considering Stewart to play Abin Sur so good choice.

cool Thanks dude.

Which ones were iffy? Just curious

 

[thee great one]

I'm changing my Jordon.


And I did.

 

[ourchair]

GREEN LANTERN CORPS

Now my idea is 4 movies.

The first details the fall of Sinestro and the rise of Jordon.

The 2nd would introduce John and Guy. Along with Fatality.

The 3rd would have the 3 GL's locked away. Maybe captured on the War World of Mongul with Sinestro's help. The guardian's choose Rayner to help them.

The 4th would the full blown Sinestro Corps War. With different members, than the comic, but still.​

That's a pretty cool way of dividing up the plot. I like it.

But just so you guys know, I was actually picturing this as a TV show --- I think the last time a round was suggested as a TV show was the Ex Machina round --- which I thought was made obvious by the Law & Order joke. Sort of The Shield meets space heroes.

So if you guys have problems 'visualizing' the movie, there you go.

But TOG's idea is still cool, though.​

 

[Victor Von Doom]

But just so you guys know, I was actually picturing this as a TV show

Oh well that totally makes my cast more believable!

 

[Bass]

You should

Darn' tootin'.

Bass, where'd you get the idea to use Peter Falk?

Where did you get the idea for James Purefoy as Hal Jordan? Or Leonard Nimoy as Abin Sur? ****ing awesome.

Not only that, but you cast Robert Redford as Alan Scott - which I did in the JSA which shows you are also a genius like myself.

As for where I got Peter Falk from - I tried to get every movie cop ever into the film. Judge Reinhold, Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence - I just picked the ones I felt would work best together.

I'm actually more proud of my choices for Hal, Sinestro, and the Manhunters.

I was pretty sure they made it clear --- in both promotional material and the film itself --- that the T-X CAN'T become a bomb or whatever.

In fact, they made it clear that the T-X wasn't 'made of energy' --- I have no idea where you got that from, though it might have been an earlier conceptualization for her --- or any other nonsense like that, and it couldn't shape-shift into non-human forms like the T-1000 because it was 'liquid metal over endoskeleton'. Which meant that she could enhance her bust, but she couldn't meld herself to the ceiling.

Just saying is all.

Originally, when the posters were coming out, it was 'made of energy'. The actual idea of her being a T-101 covered in a T-1000 'suit' isn't too bad, but she carries her weapons 'internally' is just nonsense.

Basically, she has any gadget the writers want her to have at any given time. If she can carry a goddam flame thrower or grenade launcher back with her (which she does) she can take a ****ing nuclear bomb and blow it when she's in a few feet of Connor.

Now - sure, she didn't expect to find Connor, but she knew it was a possibility, and having a nuke in her would've just been practical.

Due to a lack of creative restriction, she was never, ever, going to be as cool as the first two Terminators.

I joked that it would've been funny if the first Terminator sent back by SkyNet was the third Terminator to encounter Connor (i.e. he sends the first one back to 2007, the Arnie one to 1980~ and the T-1000 to 1992 in that order) and because it's the first, it's retro, 20 foot tall, bright red, has a flame thrower for a mouth and looks like something from the 1960s. That would've been so funny.

I can't really come up with all that many specific comments about the casting, but i think it's brilliant. You've said elsewhere that you prefer to throw in big names. I'm normally not too keen on stuffing to many big names, but that's only because I'm so ******* anal, that the chemistry between the names has to be right.

And here, you chose the RIGHT big names. They're all wonderful actors who sell the kind of film you've made here and who made career strides at roughly the same time.

They came from the time when the action movie was pretty straightforward --- Speed, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard --- and thus working under a certain kind of era for the Hollywood blockbuster... when Joel Silver and John McTiernan were the kings and not Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay.

Had you chosen just one person different --- like say, Lucy Liu as Katma Tui or Adam Baldwin as Guy Gardner --- it wouldn't be working on the same lines I mentioned above.

It really is an awesomely thought out cast.

Thanks! I think it's a very flippant cast, and I don't like casting big names, but in an ensemble I feel you have to have pretty much everyone with the same 'star power' or the cast can be overshadowed.

That said, on idea I had was to cast the Corps with only actors who play cops - so the LAW & ORDER guys were on my list at the beginning, but then I looked up the famous buddy cop movies and the movie that comes #1 in all the ones I saw was LETHAL WEAPON and then it hit me - Mel Gibson as Hal Jordan. Granted, now it's not appropriate, but if this film was being made 20 years ago, Mel Gibson would've defined Green Lantern for... well until today really.

That and Bruce Willis as Guy Gardner kinda forced me on that route, so I just looked, as you say, for the RIGHT names that would work together. And I really think it would.

Just, y'know, not as a GREEN LANTERN film.

 

[bluebeast]

cool Thanks dude.

Which ones were iffy? Just curious

Mostly Gardner and Jordan. They're just too old for it I think.

 

[SSJmole]

Mostly Gardner and Jordan. They're just too old for it I think.

Yeah I'll agree with my choice of Gardner been to old. I just thought he was right for the part but yeah he's to old.

My Hal Jordan however I thought an older actor was needed. As if I remember correctly he was around before John Stewart , then when John Stewart became an important member of the Green Lanterns

I thought Hal Jordan would in a lot of ways serve as an older mentor to John Stewart with out been really old. In a type of "I've been through the same stuff as you , I understand what your going through" type of deal.

All I really know John was Timverse cartoons and he seemed like the tough bad *** so I figured having a mentor he could kind of open up to someone and if he did go too far which I imagine that type of charracter would he has someone to say "Don't do that" in more of a father/mentor way making him listen.


If this makes sense to anyone.

 

[bluebeast]

Yeah I'll agree with my choice of Gardner been to old. I just thought he was right for the part but yeah he's to old.

My Hal Jordan however I thought an older actor was needed. As if I remember correctly he was around before John Stewart , then when John Stewart became an important member of the Green Lanterns

I thought Hal Jordan would in a lot of ways serve as an older mentor to John Stewart with out been really old. In a type of "I've been through the same stuff as you , I understand what your going through" type of deal.

All I really know John was Timverse cartoons and he seemed like the tough bad *** so I figured having a mentor he could kind of open up to someone and if he did go too far which I imagine that type of charracter would he has someone to say "Don't do that" in more of a father/mentor way making him listen.


If this makes sense to anyone.

It makes sense and I see what you did there.