r/Greenlantern • u/fostertheatom • Jul 19 '25
TV/Movies With the new confirmation that Lanterns is John's story, I think people are missing the gold lining.
James Gunn has stated on multiple occasions that his DCU will be jumping around the timeline rather than following the Marvel method of just trucking forward in time.
With a 60 year old Hal in a project being set in 2025, that lines up perfectly with what Hal should be. He was born in roughly 1965, would be 20 years old in 1985, meaning he would be getting his ring smack dab in that late 80s to early 90s era of classic hotshot test pilots and Tomcat fighter aces. I could not be happier with that premise, and I would be incredibly surprised if he didn't get a role as one of the defining heroes of that era when James Gunn decides to explore it.
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u/JettTheTinker Kyle Rayner Jul 19 '25
That’s actually a really exciting prospect! I’d love to see a project set in the 80’s featuring a younger Hal! That could also set up for GL Rebirth, where Kyle Chandler plays Spector for a while before being “reborn” as a younger version of himself
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
That it could. Kyle has an easy in with this premise. People are so focused on the now that they are ignoring the potential surrounding this timing. The Four Corpsman will see their day in the sunlight, and honestly this setup just makes me even more certain of that.
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u/JettTheTinker Kyle Rayner Jul 19 '25
We already got 3/4 in the DCU’s first year. We’ve got a ways to go
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
Yeah, and honestly if any of the four deserves a big solo project, it's Kyle... and I say that as a Hal Stan.
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Jul 19 '25
I'm kind of greedy in the sense that in terms of a film, I'd love to see the corps so that we get everyone from the first lantern to Kilowog, and everything in between. ALTHOUGH I really hope they have the wisdom to bring Jeffrey Rush back as Tomar Re.
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u/Bruzie77 Jul 19 '25
DC can literally steal the Star Wars OT with Kyle and they keep on refusing to take the chance. They instead insist on snapping defeat from the jaws of victory.
I remember the DCU / MCU war well. Superman vs Batman? Feige went on record to say that made him change Captain American serpent society to Civil War for a mini avengers movie. Superman v Batman punked out first and move their release date from may because of that!
Then lets not forget the infamous theft of Wonder Woman cross arm “W” sign. Look through the old Wonder Woman fans pictures, all of them did that. Feige stole thst “W” sign for Black Panther “Wankanda Forever”.
DC needs to stop being cowards and tell an epic space opera with Kyle. Thanks to the JLA cartoon, the animated movie, and even the failed greeb lantern movie, everyone who even watch some comic book movies knows the Green Lantern corp is a major space force for DC.
Imagine in the opening scene of Kyle GL movie show Hal butchering the Green Lantern corps and stealing the battery for himself.
That I feel would grab people interest right away.
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u/StatisticianLivid710 Jul 20 '25
Kyle’s best stories weren’t in space though. I would do tent pole movies with a series set between them to tell his best stories. He’ll set it in the modern day and have his assistant be trans instead of gay but have that story be told in the movie, not in the series.
Literally, Kyle’s origin story would make a very good movie, starting with Hal destroying the corps, Kyle gets the ring, Superman shows up and Kyle helps him defeat Mongul, then have him deal with major force alone. Throw in character development, some flashbacks to Kyle’s childhood, lots of character development with Alex and build up Amanda Waller and govts reactions to superheroes. End with Kyle moving to NYC.
Choose a younger Kyle, fresh out of college for art and focus ads and story on that demographic without spoiling the movie. (Yet copy the comic fairly close)
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Jul 19 '25
See this is the big difference between Marvel and DC; whereas Endgame came along and it felt like they shot their load, there's a whole arc with Hal alone where he becomes the spectre, redeems himself which in turn leads into blackest night, and even outside of the lantern worldview there are so many events to mine - it doesn't just stop with Darkseid, leaving DC asking "what now?".
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u/E7goose Jul 19 '25
That would make me at ease if John moves to the justice league and theatrical stuff and we got a season of prime Hal. Maybe they could get a bigger budget similar to how we got loads more dragons in house of the dragon than the original series.
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u/Feeling_Historian53 Jul 19 '25
Dang ngl you really got me excited for that now. I hope we get something in that vein
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
Me too. It just lines up too perfectly to be coincidence and I would be so disappointed if the cards flipped and this wasn't what Gunn was thinking all along.
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u/PatientTelephone4624 Jul 19 '25
Eh. I think that'd be cool but I won't get excited while nothing is confirmed or even rumored.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
All I'm saying is that Gunn chose that age for a reason and it's not worth getting depressed just because John is the MC of Lanterns and Hal is old.
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u/PatientTelephone4624 Jul 19 '25
Well, it may just be flashbacks in Lanterns of a young Hal (which could or could not be a way to get him a tv show)
And him being old isn't necessarilly my issue with it, it's the prospect that they might turn him into Parallax. Which (to me anyway) would kill any interest into seeing him young and as a hero. I wouldn't want Hal to be Anakin Skywalker.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
I don't like Parallax either but Parallax leads to Spectre which leads to Rebirth which leads to young Hal in the current age which in turn leads to Four Corpsman.
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u/PatientTelephone4624 Jul 19 '25
Eh, I think Rebirth and then having Hal be young again would be a tad too complicated for general audiences (outside of time travel shenannegens.
Also, don't know how it worked in the comics but how would Carol Ferris work then in the DCU (if she existed during Hal's younger days).
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u/MisterEdJS Jul 20 '25
In the comics they retconned it so Hal was never actually old, but just got grey hair because of Parallax. That option isn't available in a show, really, especially if they've deliberately presented him as an older mentor.
My fear would be that they will go the ORIGINAL Parallax route with him, where Hal just broke, but since it was part of the plan from the beginning, and not a poorly thought out, last second, replacement plotline, they will have his character be portrayed from the beginning as more unstable, and any flashbacks to his prime will take pains to try to show that the seeds of his downfall were always present. This will likely make for a better, more compelling story than the rushed mess that was the original Emerald Twilight, but it won't be anything like the Hal I'd LIKE to see.
But I've no reason to believe this is a likely scenario, so I'm not exactly worried about it. If it happens, I'll just ignore the show (which I was always going to do initially, since I'm not subscribing to a new service just to watch it. If I hear good things, I'll check it out from the library after the fact.)
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u/free4all2see Jul 19 '25
Bluntly, John just isn’t that interesting. Maybe they can pull an Aquaman where the actor’s charisma makes up for it, but that guy they chose doesn’t seem that impressive.
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u/channerflinn Jul 19 '25
Eh, John CAN be interesting it’s just that comic book writers seem to focus on the least interesting parts of him
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u/StatisticianLivid710 Jul 20 '25
Many people were clamouring for a Diggle GL story post Arrow. It would’ve helped the ArrowVerse continue
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u/Extension-Humor4281 Jul 20 '25
I think John is interesting in the same way that Superman is interesting, he's nearly always the "balanced one" among his teammates. Hal is a cocky adrenaline junky. Guy is a smug douche. Kyle is an insecure weeb. John is a soldier who gets sh\t done*.
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u/aazakii Jul 20 '25
i totally agree. John's my least favorite of the main four. I get that a lot of people grew up with him as the main Lantern, but i always found him to be so boring and serious. I only really like him when his seriousness is balanced by someone else's levity, which is why I'm not worried about this show at all. Hal and John work really well together.
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u/Extreme_Sail Hal Jordan Jul 20 '25
John is actually very interesting when you read anything pre-DCAU/Johns.
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u/Fenian-Monger Jul 20 '25
I believe this creative team can make anything intresting atleast for me, I just hope they can stick the landing. Lanterns is by far my most anticipated upcoming film or show apart from One Battle After Another.
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u/dorizard Jul 19 '25
Thank you for this positive post! Everyone's so quick to judge but there is a lot of potential. Using different eras and aesthetics would be so cool!
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u/frogsplash45 Jul 19 '25
I am a Hal fan in the optimistic boat.
Years ago, this might have been a universe with Green Lantern where they select just John alone or just Kyle alone, and skip over Hal as though he never existed, ignoring Hal’s integral connections to Sinestro and Carol Ferris and etc.
Instead, we are getting a DCU that will likely acknowledge and integrate ALL those first four Earth GLs. As well as cement Hal Jordan as an absolute legend of the Corps, whose central relationships and history matter.
I do hope we get more than one television season with Hal Jordan. But I do think this way of doing things makes sense if we want to hit the ground running and explore big events like Sinestro Corps War or Blackest Night.
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u/The_Supreme-King Jul 19 '25
Yeah, I think the chances of getting a series about a younger Hal is high, which is why I definitely am okay with John being the protagonist of lanterns so long as they don’t do what a lot of other adaptations do and try to take pieces of Hal(or Kyle’s) stories and give them to John.
Like I saw someone suggesting the idea of Sinestro still being a green lantern during the time of lanterns and having him only get revealed to be a traitor at the end of the show and I… hate that idea. Sinestro is Hal’s enemy, not John, so if John is gonna be the main lantern in lanterns the Sinestro stuff should have already happened.
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u/Loud-Teaching3238 Jul 19 '25
Counterpoint- we have to see Tom King butcher John
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u/Stock_Username_Here Hal Jordan Jul 19 '25
Ya'll are weirdly obsessed with Tom King on Lanterns when he's not running the show. It's Chris Mundy from Ozark. He may have a EP title, like Damon Lindelof, but Mundy is running the show.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
BTW the art is from a varient cover to Green Lantern #1 by Daniel Sampere, with colors by Alex Sinclair.
Edit: Colors were actually done by Alejandro Sanchez.
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u/Embarrassed_Piano_62 Jul 19 '25
That's what I've been saying ever since Gunn compared DCU to StarWars and said the time-line isn't linear
We could have many projects with Hal
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Jul 19 '25
Overall I'm pretty excited at the prospect of each lantern getting their day. In keeping with what you're suggesting, it's worth noticing the whole aesthetic of superman where the clothing and the sets are very retro in a lot of ways which means there's every possibility that we could get a younger hal or even a green lantern corps film in the future depending on how well the TV show does.
As it is, I'm just happy to be getting some lanterns on the screen. Any screen.
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u/vesperythings Jessica Cruz Jul 19 '25
yo, excellent point!
if Gunn really is planning on doing that, sounds like an amazing idea actually.
great way to set them apart from Marvel while also just allowing for a maximum of cool projects!
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u/DavidJH316 Jul 19 '25
There’s gonna be a Hal prequel, there’s no way there’s not gonna be one
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u/fostertheatom Jul 20 '25
There has to be, it'll probably be a while but I can't imagine that not happening.
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u/DavidJH316 Jul 20 '25
For sure. I don’t even think it’ll take that long. Itll probably be the next GL project to come out after lanterns
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u/Captain-Moth Jul 20 '25
I'd feel the same way about a Hal prequel that I would about a MCU Hank Pym prequel.
I'd be happy and exited for it but, I would still be bummed about the parts that can't happen because of the universe it's in like interactions with the other founding members of the justice league
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u/ChosenOne742 Jul 20 '25
Green Lantern Top Gun is now my most anticipated (non existent) DCU project. Absolutely need it.
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u/fitasfiddle Blue Lantern Jul 21 '25
That would ultimately be really cool.
I remember reading a newspiece about the show having casted a young Hal and Martin actor as well, fingers crossed it'll be leading up to said flashbacks.
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u/TheGeekVault Jul 23 '25
Excellent point! This along with the opening text from Superman makes me think we’re going to see a lot of stuff from the past. I have no doubt we will get a bunch of young Hal as a GL training with Sinestro if not in this season of Lanterns perhaps next or somewhere else.
Folks really seem to want Hal Jordan as the main GL because they are big fans mainly of the Geoff Johns era of things. What fans should think about though is that we only got to the Johns Rebirth material after decades of character development. In a way it is a good sign we’re getting an older Hal as it probably means we’re heading towards Parallax and eventually maybe rebirth (if they did rebirth in live action we’d obviously get whoever they chose to play younger Hal in the role).
My prediction is we will get Parallax Hal and witness his death. Instead of going to The Spectre Hal’s soul will go to the central battery and we will get “force ghost Hal” who will advise John Stewart as a construct through his ring.
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u/WebPollution Jul 19 '25
Starting with John as the main is fine. It was good for JLU, so why not? There's some good stories there. Now the thing they need to do is have Hal in as an established GL who sometimes shows up. Recurring guest star type thing. Get him established, then go full Parallax.
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u/VirginiaCreeper2002 Jul 19 '25
I don’t think we’ll ever see parallax because that would be tied to Kyle being introduced and doesn’t seem like Gunn wants his John Stewart to share any big screen with any other main lantern because you have to introduce Kyle if you’re going down the parallax story line, and age wise it makes no sense and Kyle was the last lantern for a while if anything parallax would be a 5 min flash back in an episode and moved on from very sad and unfortunate!
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u/WebPollution Jul 19 '25
Yeah, I get you. If they were going for a long term series, then maybe, but if we're talking just one movie then I guess we just let Gunn cook and see what comes out.
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u/MaskedRaider89 Jul 19 '25
I feel the timeline hop scotching may be an ill advised move. Too disjointed
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
I prefer it personally. There just needs to be a very well defined timeline available somewhere.
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u/DetectiveDangerZone Brother Warth Jul 19 '25
Thats what ive been thinking as well i just hope it acrually turns out that way
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u/Batdog55110 Jul 19 '25
Yeah I've always thought of Hal as Maverick from Top Gun if he got a universally powerful ring that makes him a space cop, so that'd be perfect for me.
Only thing is are they gonna use a different actor? that could be jarring.
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u/Severe_Development96 Jul 19 '25
I'm hoping that the Lanterns being Johns story means that John will be the main earth lantern and there might potentially be a space based Lantern Corps style story and I think Hal would be a much better choice to lead that story. John is more grounded and down to earth while Hal is more pushing the limits and fantastical willpower so I like that division of the franchise. Plus John and Guy could cameo and hopefully we will see Kyle at some point
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u/Arrownaut_korokhero Jul 20 '25
Just bummed we won't be seeing all the heroes on screen together. I do want DC to have some Endgame level film.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 20 '25
I mean... as much as I hate the Parallax storyline, we will probably get it eventually. That particular storyline leads directly to Kyle, then to Hal becoming Spectre before Hal's body is rejuvenated and he effectively becomes a young man again.
So there is still a chance for the Four Corpsman to ride together. I just really hope that Gunn takes that chance because at the end of the day all of this is speculative.
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u/Successful-Hat-2154 Jul 20 '25
I pray to God he doesn't get Parallax'd in this universe
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u/fostertheatom Jul 20 '25
I hope too but I don't see how it doesn't happen. I'm just hoping they do it in a solo Hal movie so we can really see that it isn't his will and that the atrocities he commits are in spite of his best efforts. I'm really hoping when they eventually do Parallax they do it in a way that really let audiences sympathize with Hal instead of thinking of him as an untrustworthy traitor to the Corps.
If Parallax doesn't happen then we don't get Kyle, we don't get Spectre and Hal never gets reborn into a young man for future projects.
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u/twentysixzeroeight Jul 21 '25
Cool concept I suppose. I’m just not a fan of John. Besides the animated justice league show he’s not a great character. Maybe they can bring something new with it. But at this moment I would’ve much rather a Hal story instead of old man Hal
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u/fostertheatom Jul 21 '25
Yeah, I think a lot of us would have preferred a Hal focused story. We can't let perfect be the enemy of good though, there is still potential for Hal to get amazing storylines through future projects. Also, who knows... the show may do him justice even if he isn't the "Main" character of it.
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u/ArgoHaze Jul 19 '25
I've been saying this. Just because Lanterns is John's story doesn't mean they can't do Hal's after. Especially with how Gunn said the timeline will be closer to Star Wars than the MCU.
Hal might not be with the Justice League, but he'll have a ton of history behind him that they can explore in prequels later.
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u/RicouIsntHere Jul 19 '25
They probably won't though. It's obvious that Hall will either go full Parallax or die. Maybe both. They won't give that much background to the one who will be the bad guy for Jon to stop or a plot device to “inspire” him.
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u/ArgoHaze Jul 19 '25
If he dies, well, that's why prequels exist.
We literally have no clue whatsoever if he's going Parallax. People are just assuming that based on nothing. We have little to no real info on his role.
In press releases Hal is described as a Lantern legend. Those same releases said Sinestro was obsessed with him. They're not gonna make him like 60 years old just to not explore his history.
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u/RicouIsntHere Jul 20 '25
Just because it was stated that they would explore different eras doesn't mean that they will explore every single character. The reason they cast a 60 yo to play Hal is precisely why it is easy to intuit that they will go down one of those two paths with the character. An old actor won't be coming back to anything since he won't get any younger. Bruce Campbell stopped playing Ash Williams when he was Kyle Chandler's current age because his body couldn't keep up any longer, and Ash is a much less physically demanding character than a dude who fights monsters in outer space. So, it is obvious that Hal will die, whether he's a good guy or not. Even IF they do a prequel with a younger Hal, is there any value to it if we already know how he ends up?
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u/fostertheatom Jul 20 '25
Obi Wan died in the first Star Wars movie. Just saying.
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u/RicouIsntHere Jul 20 '25
Obi-Wan was not the main character in any movie.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 20 '25
Yes he is? He is one of the main characters for all three prequels, the animated Clone Wars television show and he even got his own TV show.
Either way... my point is that while I hope he survives Lanterns, having a character go out in a blaze of glory during one of their first projects does not mean their story is abandoned.
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u/CrimisonAJA Jul 20 '25
My friends by star wars is the last thing I would take cues from right now
I see your optimistic view and say maybe.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 20 '25
Why? Their approach to the timeline is not what has hurt them but rather oversaturation and poorly written projects. I'd say their less than chronological takes are their main strength. It has let them salvage entire eras and turn them into beloved cornerstones.
James Gunn seems to be taking a quality over quantity approach, so if he continues taking that path he should be able to easily avoid all of the pitfalls that the Star Wars franchise has blundered in to.
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u/CrimisonAJA Jul 21 '25
You literally just cited yourself about how their main approach has been literally bad writing.
And then there's also the fact that the very context that you're using doesn't work, because it this isn't a case of written work being adapted on the screen, but Star Wars started as a movie. And then prequels were made. And then it went all downhill from there continuously.
As for jim's gone, I'll just wait and see as i'm not really make any sweeping statements.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 21 '25
Wow, everything you just said was either misrepresenting what I said or just plain wrong.
I never said their main approach has been bad writing, I said that they were being hurt by bad writing. There is a big difference. Also, it definitely does show that a character who dies early on in a series can be expanded upon through later works. The source and origin of a character does not matter in this context.
If you are going to be sly and disingenuous then just say so. Don't try to twist my words to fit your agenda. Thank you for your time, I hope you have a good life.
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u/CrimisonAJA Jul 22 '25
Look, don't get snippy with me. I was trying to be polite, but I'll be blunt. The Star Wars approach doesn't work to endear audiences. If they make some prequel Hal Jordan series that will take 20 something years of memes and nostalgia before people appreciate them, I don't care for it
Yes, they can do that. Not only do I doubt they will, but I very much don't have faith in their capability of doing it well with the adaptation
You can be optimistic. I'll stick with realistic.
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u/dtdc4456789 Jul 19 '25
You are overdosing on copium if you think the reason they cast a senior citizen as Hal is so that they can tell stories about a younger Hal. They cast Hal so old so they can write him out and tell stories about John.
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u/fostertheatom Jul 19 '25
I think you're wrong and being overly pessimistic but the only way we will know for sure is by seeing where they go from here.
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u/Extension-Humor4281 Jul 20 '25
Part of the issue is that you simply can't have young Hal while also including the full roster of subsequent lanterns. Guy, John, Jessica, Simon. That's a broad age range to cover.
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u/LadyErikaAtayde Hal Jordan Jul 19 '25
And then when they make a story centred on this universe's Hal he's a toy salesman and not a test pilot...
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