Chris Pine Rumored to be Playing Green Lantern; Common Still Interested in Role

It was recently reported that Warner Bros. had finally found an actor to play Green Lantern in the DC Cinematic Universe. Currently, little is known about this incarnation of the character; his solo movie is dated for June 19th, 2020, but he will first make his debut in 2017’s Justice League Part One and 2019’s Justice League Part Two. It is unknown if we will see John Stewart or a new version of Hal Jordan in the suit. Today, a new rumor suggests that a fan-favorite choice for Hal Jordan may have been cast.

After breaking the news that WB has decided on an actor to play Green Lantern, Latino-Review’s El Mayimbe has revealed who it is. He has been repeatedly “hearing” that Chris Pine will be Hal Jordan. However, Mayimbe cautions that this is an unconfirmed rumor right now, so it could easily end up being true or false. He affirms that he is still hunting for more names linked to the role.

Pine has been frequently suggested by fans for the role of Hal Jordan. In fact, the Star Trek actor was actually considered to play Green Lantern in the 2011 film, before Ryan Reynolds was cast. Of course, that movie was a commercial and critical failure, but perhaps Pine will get another shot at wearing the power ring on the big screen.

While we wait for an official Green Lantern casting announcement to be made, another actor has thrown his hat into the ring (again). Common, whose work on Selma recently won an Oscar for Best Original Song, was actually set to play John Stewart in the now defunct Justice League Mortal back in 2007. Is the rapper-actor still interested in playing Green Lantern in the DC Cinematic Universe?

Speaking with Screen Rant, Common says that he would still like to portray John Stewart on the big screen. “I would love to be John Stewart and play Green Lantern. That was one of those things where I was so excited because we rarely see African-American superheroes or people of color as a superhero. I think it would be great for the world to see, and for people to see, and for Hollywood to put that out there, too. But just for the world to see, just for kids to be able to see, for all nationalities to see a person of color as a superhero, too.”

He goes on to reflect on the pre-production of Justice League Mortal and the research he did on Green Lantern. “Plus, it’s just for the fun. Even the pre-production of getting the ‘go’ and studying Green Lantern. John Stewart is from Detroit, so he was this guy that was really for the community, and I really related to that. He used his powers to help people in the community. I was like, ‘Man, I’m going to be John Stewart, the Green Lantern!’ Unfortunately, it didn’t happen at that time. But maybe the possibility is that it could. I would love to.” Common then affirms that he did try on the “cool” Green Lantern suit, which was green and black.

Hopefully, official news on who will be playing the next Green Lantern will be here sooner than later. Stay tuned for more as we have it.