Warner Bros. has just announced that they will moving forward with a sequel to the film, Green Lantern. Rumor has it that the studio was only going to green light a sequel if the film made $60 million or more on its opening weekend. It came in just over $53 million, which was a disappointment for Warner Bros, who spent $200 million to make the film. The film also dropped 66% of its audience in its second weekend and has been met with poor reviews. So why is Warner Bros continuing with a sequel? Pure desperation. The studio only has two successful franchises; the Harry Potter films, which are about to end, and the Batman franchise. I for one enjoyed Green Lantern. Like most critics though, I thought the film lacked focus, but felt it was a descent starting point to make something better the next time around.
If you haven't seen the film yet then I have no idea why you are reading this blog to begin with, and if you didn't stick around till after the ending credits then you missed, SPOILER ALERT, Sinestro putting on the yellow ring of fear. Any Green Lantern fan knows Hal Jordan's mentor turns into his greatest enemy. So where do they go from here? And how can they turn this franchise around? Never fear, a Green Lantern fan is here.
Step 1) Center the sequel more: The first film seemed like it was about Hal Jordan becoming a Green Lantern by overcoming his fears, but I couldn't be sure because they kept flipping back to Hector Hammond. If director Martin Campbell wanted the film to be about three childhood friends, Hal, Hector, and Carol, then the film should have been longer and shown their relationships more. I could feel a connection between them all, but not sure what it was. I felt like the film should have been all about Hal. How all his fears center on his father's death, and how he had to overcome it. Christopher Nolan's Batman works so well because it's about Bruce Wayne's journey, not the villains, which is something Joel Schumacher obviously forgot. If you need more detail then refer to Geoff Johns storyline, Green Lantern: Secret Origin.
Step 2) Listen to Geoff Johns: The DC Chief Creative Director made his mark in comics by turning Green Lantern from a dying comic to thee hot title in the industry. He knows Hal Jordan, he knows the Green Lantern Corps, and has been making hit after hit since Green Lantern: Rebirth. I know it's Warner Bros money that is making the films so they want a say in what goes into it, but Marvel Studios listens to its fans and the writers who keep these characters going. They find out why the heroes are interesting, and why they last through the years. Use DC Comics and then maybe you'll figure out how to achieve Marvel film success.
Step 3) Move back before you move forward: I thought making Parallax the main villain in the first film was a mistake, but what's done is done, so let's move on. At the end of the film Sinestro put on the yellow ring, but most people didn't see it, and I say use that to your advantage. In the end Hal went off to patrol the rest of Sector 2814, not just Earth. I say open the sequel with Hal Jordan returning to Earth for the first time since leaving. It's been a while, Hal and Sinestro have fought together and become close, but Sinestro becomes frustrated with the Guardians rules and decides to put on the yellow ring. This is where they insert the previous clip, which makes the clip at the end of the first film more of a foreshadowing if anything else. He asks Hal to join him, Hal refuses, and Sinestro starts up his own Corps and the war begins!
Step 4) Create the legacy: After the next Batman film Christian Bale is done, which means Warner Bros has to either continue on without him or re-boot with a different actor. There is only one Batman, but there are thousands of Green Lanterns. Hal Jordan was the first human picked, but he wasn't the last. When the Yellow and Green Lanterns start killing each other replacements will need to be picked. Let's bring in Hal's replacements, Guy Gardner and John Stewart. This gives you a whole different set of characters to continue with after Ryan Reynolds is done with Green Lantern. If it were me I'd bring back Parallax to turn Hal Jordan into his evil self, which leads the way for New Dawn, and the introduction of 'The Torchbearer', Kyle Rayner. When Reynolds is done playing superhero there are plenty more to take Hal Jordan's place, each with different personalities, and enough history to each have their own film trilogy.
There are so many different ways they can take the Green Lantern film franchise, from Emerald Twilight to Blackest Night. Warner Bros just has to get the right people running the show and making the decisions, preferably not them. Most films are so loved that their sequels are met with criticism. With Green Lantern bordering on failure Warner Bros and DC Comics have nowhere to go but up, and done right they can blow the roof off this universe. And if they have any trouble just come find me, I'll work for cheap.
No comments:
Post a Comment