Green Lantern Director Reveals How Ryan Reynolds Could Have Saved the DC Movie

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Martin Campbell, the director of Green Lantern, discusses how he believes Ryan Reynolds could have improved the underperforming DC movie. In an interview with The Direct, Campbell reminisced about the comic book adaptation and mused on potential ways it could have been more successful. Looking back, Campbell wishes Reynolds had played a larger role in the film’s development, specifically in the scriptwriting process. Referencing Reynolds’ success with Deadpool, Campbell suggests that the actor’s creative input would have strengthened the Green Lantern movie. Despite its less-than-stellar outcome, Campbell still enjoyed making the film.

Speaking from my perspective, I must admit that the film experience was nothing short of fantastic. Working alongside both of them was an absolute pleasure. Blake Lively was outstanding, and Ryan Reynolds, well, he’s got this unique charm that’s simply unmatched – like a sharp wit, if you catch my drift. Frankly, I can’t help but wonder what the film could have been if Ryan had penned the script. But then again, he’s known for his playful jabs at it. Nevertheless, the success of the project was significant for him, especially because he met Blake Lively on set.

The 2011 movie “Green Lantern” was intended as the launchpad for a new superhero series from Warner Bros., but it ended up receiving poor reviews and disappointing box office returns, earning just $237.2 million globally. Despite this, there was no follow-up film, and Ryan Reynolds eventually shifted to Marvel’s Deadpool franchise, where he starred in a successful trilogy of films. Last year’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” movie even surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office.

In a conversation with ComicBook this year, Campbell expressed thoughts about the Green Lantern script that were not unlike his current views. He proposed that Reynolds could have been an effective contributor to the writing process. Despite Reynolds not actually writing the script, his time on Green Lantern gave him an important insight. This lesson was all about putting ‘character development’ over ‘visual grandeur,’ a philosophy that significantly influences his Deadpool film series.

One point of criticism towards the movie “Green Lantern” was its unengaging script, which failed to provide an engaging backstory for Hal Jordan effectively. Despite Ryan Reynolds’ previous works (two Deadpool films) being more comedy-oriented, he has shown enough intelligence to grasp what each movie requires to succeed. If he were to contribute to writing “Green Lantern”, he likely wouldn’t attempt to make Hal a copy of Deadpool. Given his “character over spectacle” principle, Reynolds would probably create something tailored for the Green Lantern characters, constructing an exciting space opera narrative where special effects supported a robust storyline. During filming, Reynolds suggested focusing on a lively dialogue exchange when he observed excessive spending in other aspects of the production.

It’d be intriguing to speculate about how the movie “Green Lantern” might have been different if Ryan Reynolds had been part of the scriptwriting process. Maybe the movie would have fared better, leading to the franchise Warner Bros. initially planned when they approved the project. This could have potentially meant no “Deadpool,” as Reynolds would likely have been occupied with sequels for “Green Lantern.” Actors usually don’t star in both DC and Marvel films at the same time. Although Reynolds isn’t connected to the upcoming “Lanterns” TV show, I hope that James Gunn and the DC Studios team keep the principle of “character over spectacle” in mind. This could lead to a worthy adaptation of the beloved comic book character.

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2025-05-22 17:39