When HBO Max dropped the news Tuesday that a Green Lantern series is in development for the new streaming service, it caught many fans by surprise. Apart from Zack Snyder's teases of the Green Lantern Corps in 2017's Justice League, it seemed as if any live-action plans for the DC property had stalled, with memories of Martin Campbell's 2011 film, Green Lantern, still in mind.
However, as poorly as that film performed, critically and commercially, there are some key lessons that should be carried by series executive producer Greg Berlanti, who co-wrote the 2011 film, to ensure the HBO Max project doesn't repeat the mistakes of old.
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MORE SPACE, LESS EARTH
One of the biggest shortcomings of the 2011 film was how much time Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan spent on Earth. It took him a while to find Abin Sur's ring and head off to Oa to train with Kilowog and Sinestro, only to return to fend off Hector Hammond and save Carol Ferris. Seriously, that trope of the spaceman goes off, hones his craft and comes back to Earth is so overplayed and, honestly, it's a step down in terms of spectacle. It was so anticlimactic that it's undoubtedly among the underwhelming finales in a comic book movie.
The new series should focus on the Corps in space, exploring Sector 2814, a la Star Trek. Sure, it'd require a big budget but we've seen it done well on other shows like Netflix's Lost in Space and Another Life. We don't even need an origin story as we all know the Corpsmen got drafted and became soldiers of Oa. If the show goes that route and places them in the trenches, it'd add a layer of intensity Campbell's movie never got, cutting out the fat and diving straight into the thick of the action. This would help build the franchise as a visual showpiece; combining style and substance. It would also adhere more to the comics, which usually focus more on space and less on Earth.
DON'T CROWD THE CAST
When it comes to the Corps, we know there'll be a lot of faces to take in. Hal was fighting alongside so many Lanterns in Campbell's movie, plus with the Hammonds, Carol and of course, Parallax in the mix, it just felt so bogged down. That's why we got a convoluted story with Hal doing so many things at once. His character simply had too many beats spread thin and all over the place, which didn't really allow us to emotionally connect to the supporting members of the cast. They felt like furniture and it's best to not keep unnecessary, peripheral faces involved.
The series should just stick to the priority figures, namely the main Lantern(s) and a couple of allies. Give us a character study that really depicts a Corpsman investigating and going on procedural runs. It doesn't matter if it's Hal, Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardner or John Stewart. That way, things would be far more streamlined: there would be room for a love interest, some flashbacks and only the pertinent Guardians -- not the entire council. Keeping it small makes it intimate and easier for us to emotionally invest in, not to mention we'll appreciate Easter eggs and nods to the wider DC Universe a bit more.
USE INTIMIDATING VILLAINS
Hector Hammond didn't just look creepy, his disposition was so weird it was laughable in the film. The typical rejected nerd-goes-bonkers schtick is also played out, so the series needs to give us someone truly intimidating. Maybe dive straight into Sinestro leading the Yellow Corps, with his defection becoming the elephant in the room, hanging over the series as a dark shadow. Atrocitus is another example of a scary villain who would amp up the action factor.
The movie felt so slapstick and most of the comedy forced, made even worse by the terrible CGI of Parallax. HBO Max should spend money on proper special effects and use villains who don't just look mean -- they act it. We want to see these Lanterns in the Green Zone, fighting wars and preventing mass destruction against true tyrants, which also creates an opening for an army like the Manhunters.
If the creative team wants to take it a step further and create an even more sinister atmosphere, the Book of the Black could also be tied in, hinting at Blackest Night and true horror to come -- flipping the space dynamic on its head and to craft a perilous cosmic journey like never before for audiences.