After Green Lantern Actor Explained How He Learned The Series Had Been Scrapped, I Hope He Can Still Appear In The DCU

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HBO’s upcoming show, Lanterns, which is scheduled to premiere in 2026, will be another attempt to bring the Green Lantern story to life after the 2011 movie wasn’t successful. Interestingly, before this new series was announced, a completely different Green Lantern show was being developed. Actor Jeremy Irvine was one of the few cast members revealed for that earlier project, and after hearing it was cancelled, I’m hoping he’ll still have a chance to be part of the DC Universe in some way.

I was really excited about that old Green Lantern series they were planning! Apparently, they wanted me, Jeremy Irvine, to play Alan Scott – the original Green Lantern from the comics, set way back in the 1940s. Finn Wittrock was supposed to be Guy Gardner, taking place in the 80s. I was so bummed when it didn’t happen, and when someone from The Direct asked me about it, I was asked what went wrong.

I was incredibly disappointed when the project fell through. I was so upset, I think I actually slept on the floor that night. As an actor, you learn to expect a big setback every year, but this one really stung because I had a lot of exciting ideas for it. I’m hoping I’ll be able to use those ideas on a different project someday. It was a beautiful story, and the writing was fantastic. I truly hope it gets made eventually, and that whoever takes it on enjoys bringing it to life.

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Jeremy Irvine kept details about the cancelled Green Lantern series closely guarded, explaining he’d signed numerous non-disclosure agreements and didn’t want to risk future work with DC Studios’ James Gunn. Reports suggested his character, Alan Scott, would have been a secretly gay FBI agent who became the first Green Lantern on Earth. Finn Wittrock’s Guy Gardner was envisioned as a strongly patriotic figure of the 1980s. The show would have also featured Simon Baz, Jessica Cruz, and Kilowog, along with some new characters, and aimed for a grand, space-focused story – a contrast to the more grounded, Earth-based detective story planned for Lanterns.

It’s disappointing that the recent portrayal of Alan Scott in the Green Lantern series didn’t quite work out, but that doesn’t mean he’s lost for good at DC Comics. The artwork in Superman shows that classic heroes from the Golden Age, like Sandman, Liberty Belle, and Wildcat, are part of the DC Universe. If this version of Alan Scott leans into the magical side of the character, as he often does in the comics, instead of being a traditional Green Lantern, it would be simple to feature him in stories without conflicting with the Lanterns series. This means Jeremy Irvine could potentially reprise his role as Alan, and perhaps explore some of the original concepts he had for the character.

Honestly, I’m really hoping they find a place for Irvine in the DCU somehow, even if it’s not the original role we all imagined – there are so many characters! As for what’s coming up, we’re now looking at Lanterns hitting screens around mid-2026, slotted between the Supergirl and Clayface movies. And if you want to see what Irvine’s been up to, they’re currently starring in the new film Turbulence and are a regular on the Outlander: Blood of My Blood series over on Starz.

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2025-12-31 06:08