Picture the scene: a well-known comic book superhero gets their very first theatrically-released, live-action feature film. The film is panned by audiences and critics and ends up becoming joke fodder among comic fans. Then, years later, that very same superhero gets their own live-action television series on a popular streaming platform, which completely flips the script, earning widespread acclaim and opening the door for even more successful stories. This, of course, is the story of Daredevil. And, if things go a certain way, it could also end up being the story of Green Lantern.
With the project already in the works, HBO Max has officially greenlit a 10-episode Green Lantern TV series, which will feature numerous members of DC Comics' Green Lantern Corps. This marks the first live-action project starring the Emerald Knight since the infamous Green Lantern film hit theaters in the summer of 2011. While it's certainly exciting to see the property get a shot at redemption, this situation isn't exactly unprecedented. Enter Daredevil.
While Matt Murdock actually made his live-action debut in the 1989 made-for-TV film The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, Marvel Comics' Man Without Fear wouldn't make his way to the big screen for another 14 years. Starring Ben Affleck as the eponymous vigilante, 20th Century Fox's Daredevil hit theaters in February of 2003 -- and people didn't like it very much.
Granted, the movie isn't as bad as some make it out to be. It does have a number of positives going for it and, as many dedicated fans will tell you, there's a case to be made its director's cut is a legitimately solid superhero flick. That said, in spite of its redeeming qualities, the theatrical cut also has a lot working against it, most notably its overall silliness. Moreover, while its box office haul was respectable in a vacuum, it didn't exactly do Spider-Man numbers, or even X-Men numbers for that matter. Combine that with the critical mauling it received, and it's not hard to see why 2003's Daredevil became a punchline among Marvel fans for so long. Come 2015, however, they'd be singing a different tune.
2015 saw the premiere of Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix, a small-screen reboot for the eponymous character adjacent to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil was the first series released as part of a deal between Marvel and Netflix, followed by Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher. And, quite frankly, this lineup couldn't have possibly gotten off to a better start.
It seems somewhat redundant to say at this point, but Netflix's Daredevil truly was fantastic. In addition to proving no superhero is beyond on-screen redemption, the series was just stellar in its own right, featuring incredible writing, acting and action sequences across all three seasons. What's more, due in part to Netflix's full-season drop format, after the first season arrived on that fateful spring day in 2015, Daredevil went from one of Marvel's most maligned live-action properties to one of its most beloved virtually overnight. Now, when audiences hear the word "Daredevil," they don't think of a silly fight between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner in a playground, they think of the iconic hallway fight scenes' masterful choreography and stellar performances by the likes of Charlie Cox, Elden Henson, Deborah Ann Woll and Vincent D'Onofrio.
Ahead of the HBO Max series' premiere, the Green Lantern brand is currently in a very similar place as the Daredevil brand was pre-Netflix. While the character is undeniably well-respected among comic fans, Green Lantern's track record with moviegoers is another story.
Starring would-be Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, Green Lantern premiered on June 15, 2011, and managed to fare even worse than 2003's Daredevil with fans and critics alike. Interestingly, the films are weirdly similar. Daredevil made $179.2 million at the box office. When you adjust that for inflation, it's almost exactly the same as Green Lantern's $219.9 box office haul. The key difference is, even when adjusted, it still cost about twice as much to make Green Lantern as it did to make Daredevil. The DC film was also even more reviled by critics, currently holding a 26 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes to Daredevil's 44 percent.
Since 2011, the Green Lantern has largely disappeared from the world of live-action. Notable exceptions include a cameo by an unnamed Green Lantern in 2017's Justice League, some Alan Scott easter eggs in Stargirl, the planet Oa's brief appearance during The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover and, of course, John Diggle finally getting his power ring in the series finale of Arrow. Still, a live-action project that actually puts the Green Lantern mythos front and center hasn't been attempted in nearly a decade.
Additionally, much like how Daredevil became something of a joke among Marvel fans for a while, Green Lantern has a similar reputation among not only DC fans, but also those who were involved in making it. Reynolds certainly isn't shy about throwing shade at the movie at every available opportunity. Even DC itself got in on the fun in 2018's Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, in which Green Lantern John Stewart says the Green Lantern movie is something they "don't talk about." But, if Netflix could turn things around for Daredevil, HBO Max can almost surely do the same for Green Lantern.
Not counting the shows migrating over from DC Universe, it's currently unclear which of HBO Max's original DC series will be the first to premiere. In addition to Green Lantern, the films The Batman and The Suicide Squad are getting TV spinoffs on the platform, with a Justice League Dark show on the way as well. Even so, it definitely seems like Green Lantern will be one of DC's main pillars on HBO Max, so it only stands to reason that DC and Warner Bros. would want to put their best foot forward with the series. Plus, with a budget comparable to feature films and 10 hour-long episodes to tell a compelling story, things definitely look promising as we head towards what could prove to be Green Lantern's live-action redemption.
It won't necessarily be redemption for Hal Jordan specifically, mind you. It was recently revealed that the show will instead center around such Green Lanterns as Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. However, the HBO Max series could still serve to redeem the brand as a whole in the world of live-action, and change what viewers think when they hear the words "Green Lantern."