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Warner Bros.’ GREEN LANTERN CORPS Shortlist Reportedly Includes Tom Cruise, Jake Gyllenhaal and…Ryan Reynolds?

Last week, it was revealed that David S. Goyer and Justin Rhodes are co-writing the script for DC Films’ Green Lantern Corps. The reboot, which brings Hal Jordan and John Stewart into the DC Extended Universe, is currently scheduled for release in July 2020.

Green Lantern has been the focus of one of the hottest superhero casting topics in recent years. We’ve heard all kinds of rumors, while other actors expressed interest in wearing the ring. Now, it looks like we have a shortlist for the Hal Jordan role.

According to The Wrap, Warner Bros. is considering six actors for the role of Hal Jordan in Green Lantern Corps. To say the least, some of these names would be very surprising…

  • Ryan Reynolds
  • Tom Cruise
  • Jake Gyllenhaal
  • Bradley Cooper
  • Joel McHale
  • Armie Hammer
Of course, Reynolds played Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern movie. That film was a critical and commercial failure. Since then, Reynolds has gone on to star in the insanely more successful Deadpool. So, why would WB consider Reynolds again? Even if the studio did want him back, Reynolds has his own big CBM franchise, so why would he return to a franchise that failed him before?
Cruise is one of the biggest action stars around right now. At 54, he’s still churning out big tentpole films, such as the Mission: Impossible franchise. But he’ll be close to 60 by the time Green Lantern Corps hits theaters. As he gets older, will Cruise want to take on a demanding superhero role?
Gyllenhaal has been connected to several superhero roles over the years. He came close to replacing Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 2, while he narrowly lost the role of Batman to Christian Bale. More recently, he was approached to play Rick Flag in Suicide Squad, but he passed. Could Green Lantern be the role that gets Gyllenhaal into the superhero game? We’ll see.
Cooper, meanwhile, has his own big superhero gig already…sort of. He voices Rocket Raccoon in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and he’ll reprise the role in Avengers: Infinity War. But that is not a live action performance. Could Cooper physically play a superhero for one company and voice one for another company simultaneously? Maybe, maybe not. Also, Cooper was actually in contention to play Jordan in 2011’s Green Lantern.
McHale is probably best known for his role in Community. Outside of a minor role in Spider-Man 2, he hasn’t appeared in any superhero movies or TV shows.
At 30, Hammer is the youngest actor on the list. He and DC Films co-chief Geoff Johns recently followed each other on Twitter, which led to much fan speculation that he was joining a DC movie. Hammer later trolled fans online about it. Oh, and he nearly played Batman in the defunct Justice League: Mortal film. Could Hammer finally get his big superhero role with Hal Jordan?
L-R: Ryan Reynolds, Tom Cruise, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bradley Cooper, Joel McHale, Armie Hammer
Of course, it’s still very early days for the Green Lantern Corps casting process, and nobody has been approached yet. These are just the actors that WB is reportedly considering for the Hal Jordan role. So, anything can happen. The studio could even hire an actor not on this list. We just have to wait and see.
Who do you think should play Hal Jordan in Green Lantern Corps?

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of WOBAM! Entertainment.