Comics
HBO Max’s “Green Lantern Corps” reveals its main roster of DC characters set to appear in the TV Series
The Ring (and Marc Guggenheim) to unite them
DC Comics is excising its will on the planned Green Lantern TV series set to premiere on HBO Max. And as what has been teased for a while that we would be getting more of the Corps than focussing on one Green Lantern, the show’s lineup of characters were confirmed. The heroes in the spotlight that will be all about the green and the rings include Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Kilowog, and the original Green Lantern Alan Scott.
Guy Gardner in the DC Comics is often presented as brutish, jingoist, American-type whose hot-blooded reactions go hand-in-hand with his dim-wittedness. However what he lacks in grace he more than makes up for with an undeniable fortitute and resilience.
Jessica Cruz is a Mexican-American and Honduran-American Green Lantern; her story is somewhat unique. Her ring, which belonged to the deceased Volthoom, feeds on the acrid fumes of one’s fears. It was through Jessica’s trauma of witnessing a crime and resultant murder of her friends by assailants that the ring found her. Not to mention the Ring essentially ended up using her as bait to draw a planet-destroying entity out of hiding. But that’s another issue. The series will likely take the narrative arc of overcoming her past and fears whilst dealing with the foreign role of being part of an intergalactic force.
Simon Baz, who trained Cruz in the comics, was on the wrong side of the tracks in his misguided youth which first began after being victim of persecution after the events of 9/11 due to his ethnicity. During his carjacking days, while trying to evade the police in the stolen vehicle, Simon finds out that there is a bomb in it. Simon drives the van into the abandoned car factory he was laid off from, knowing that no one would be hurt in the explosion. What happens next is as one would expect, he gets branded a terrorist. The power ring that finds him has a unique story to it. Hal Jordan and Sinestro‘s rings fused and formed a malfunctioning Green Lantern Power Ring, selecting him as the new wielder.
Kilowog is our favour brutish alien cross of pig and bull-dog if we ever saw one. He is often the badass first-contact of new recruits to the Green Lantern Corps. Hard-nosed, tough-as-nails and takes-no-prisoners authoritarian, he prepares and tests the physical and mental toughness and acuity of new members looking to become the elite in the Green Lantern Corps.
The original Green Lantern in the comics was nonother than Alan Scott, and our hope he is presented as an elder and veteran. Hailing from the golden age, Scott was also an original member of the JSA – Justice Society of America.
With that said, the prolific Hal Jordan (the infamous whipping-horse of one Ryan Reynolds) will not make an appearance in the series.
His yellow-themed nemesis Sinestro, however, will be making landfall in the Green Lantern Corps series. Whether we will be seeing just the Yellow and Green Lanterns or if we will get any iteration from the likes of the Red or Orange Lanterns is still up in the air. Though if Gardner is mentioned to appear, his transition to the Red Lanterns is still a possibility
In other news, Seth Grahame-Smith is writing the pilot and will run the eventual show for streaming service HBO Max.
Marc Guggenheim, who co-wrote the original film, and has since gone on to small screen success himself working on shows such as Arrow and Legends Of Tomorrow, will have a hand in the pilot script alongside Grahame-Smith. Also involved? Regular DC TV uber-producer Greg Berlanti, who also counts the Lantern film among his scriptwriting credits.
More as things develop.
