Back in June I was invited to steamy New Orleans to visit the set of the upcoming film
Green Lantern. I went, with visions of supping on shrimp gumbo on a paddle steamer with Ryan Reynolds in my head.
I've not been allowed to say too much about it – UNTIL NOW. I have to hold off on my full mind-blowing article until mid next year when the film is released, but I can give you a few tidbits.
If you’re not familiar with the Green Lantern DC Comics and the upcoming film, here’s a basic storyline:
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.
Admittedly I didn't know much about this project before the visit. But I came away with a couple of excellent reasons to be excited:
1) Even if you’re a bit over the superhero films at the moment, the fact that
Martin Campbell is directing this should set it apart. Remember how he breathed new life into the Bond franchise with
Casino Royale? Word on the street is he’s about to give Chris Nolan a run for his money and do the same thing with the superhero genre.
2) It’s an excellent cast and while
I initially wasn't that taken with Ryan Reynolds he looks like he’s going slot into Hal Jordan’s shoes beautifully. And Martin Campbell (who lobbied for Daniel Craig to play James Bond when everyone else dismissed him) seems to have absolute faith in Reynolds. It’s also refreshing that not everyone on the cast list is your typical blockbuster star - for example it’s going to be great to see indie dreamboat Peter Sarsgaard sink his teeth into the role of a hideously deformed Hector Hammond.
3) The creative team behind the film are a who’s who of the production world. There are quite a few Oscar winners in the mix and a handful of Aussies and Kiwis * chest swells with pride *. Director of photography is Dion Beebe (
Memoirs of a Geisha), production designer is the very lovely Grant Major (
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and Ngila Dickson is on board as costume designer (
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). Basically, the film is going to look damn impressive.
In fact, while we were on set they gave us a tour of the production design room. It’s truly mind-boggling the attention to detail that goes into the look and feel of these big-budget films.
The people at Warner Bros have kindly given us
two brand new Green Lantern images so that you can get some idea of the visuals.
New Green Lantern pic - cemetery and citadel on planet Oa (high res)
New Green Lantern pic - Oa city (high res)
Anyway, that’s about all we can divulge at this early stage. But if you’re thirsty for more check out the story we did when we attended the
Comic-Con Green Lantern panel in San Diego earlier this year.
In other superficial news, Blake Lively is smoking hot as a brunette Carol Ferris:
(Image above is via Entertainment Weekly).