Following his work on some of the most successful and highest grossing superhero films of all time, writer and producer David S. Goyer is turning his sights to the opposite end of the spectrum. In a recent interview with Collider, Goyer stated that he would like a shot at one of the biggest superhero bombs in recent years, Green Lantern.
While discussing the Krypton-based scenes from Man of Steel, the discussion turned to the idea of filming alien worlds. That inevitably led to talk of 2011’s Green Lantern, which visited the alien planet Oa, but in a much less successful way. Goyer then stated. “I would love to do Green Lantern.”
While a Hollywood scribe claiming they’d like a shot at a big name project is far from new, Goyer may find himself at the right place at the right time. He has already established himself in the Warner Bros. studio system, enough that WB is willing to take a gamble on him with projects like Sandman. Of course, that one also has Joseph Gordon-Levitt helping it along, with the actor attached to produce along with Goyer; he’s also in line to possibly star and direct.
Still, Warner Bros. is showing a lot of faith in Goyer. In a recent interview with the NY Times, Warner Bros. new CEO, Kevin Tsujihara stated that he wants the studio to make better use of its DC Comics properties, and that a “film series” will be announced in the near future that will include a Justice League movie. With Green Lantern being one of that team’s core members, it makes sense for WB to ape Marvel Studios’ approach by releasing standalone hero films to set up an ensemble Justice League story. That’s is the direction WB seems to be heading in with the Man of Steel franchise, and a Green Lantern reboot would fit naturally as part of that plan. It’s simply too big a property, with too much potential upside, for the studio to ignore.
At the moment though, this is little more than talk. Director Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern, which starred Ryan Reynolds, was brutalized by critics and barely broke even at the box office. The film earned $220 million worldwide against an estimated production budget of $200 million (via Box Office Mojo). Factoring in marketing costs, the film almost certainly lost a fairly significant amount, although an exact number is difficult to pin down. That has to make WB execs more than a little nervous about the possibility of bringing the property back, and the studio is presumably waiting to see how a Justice League film does first. The character of Wonder Woman, for example, will be introduced in Man of Steel 2, but actor Gal Gadot has been signed to appear in multiple films. One of those is expected to be a standalone movie based on the character, but it might be a while before that movie hits theaters.
