Summary
Warner Bros. and HBO are officially moving forward with the DCU’sLanternsseries. However, it’s not yet known who will be playing Hal Jordan, one of the greatest human Green Lanterns in DC Universe. As such, the role is going to require a very particular type of actor, one who can project a high level of courage and confidence alongside a fair share of recklessness where others would express caution or fear.
TheDCU’s upcomingLanternsserieswill be part of the newly rebooted universe from DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran. Chris Mundy has been attached as series showrunner (True Detective: Night Country, Ozark) while the show itself will be written by Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers) and DC Comics legend Tom King. It’s also been reported that"new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland".Keeping that in mind,here are 10 potential actors who could be cast as Hal Jordan in the upcomingLanternsseries.
DCU Chapter One Gods And Monsters: Every Movie & Show In The New DC Universe
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe begins with six movies and six shows that open the DCU’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters”.
10Tom Cruise
A Rumored Front-Runner
Tom Cruise has long been rumored as a frontrunner to play Green Lantern Hal Jordan. This is partly due toCruises' recent deal with Warner Bros.to produce original and franchise content for the studio. As such, perhaps playing a veteran Hal Jordan will become one of the first results of this new partnership.
Regardless, there truly is no one better than Cruise to play Hal Jordan. A military test pilot following in the footsteps of his deceased father, Jordan’s ability to overcome great fear made him a prime recruit for the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps and a member of the Earth-based Justice League. Eventually becoming the greatest of the Green Lanterns, one could easily see Cruise playing an older Jordan training John Stewart as a new recruit, a role that would basically mirror his role inTom Gun: Maverick(just with a really cool green ring).
Top Gun: Maverick
Cast
Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.
9Bradley Cooper
Longtime Collaborator With James Gunn
Bradley Cooper is a longtime collaborator of James Gunn’s, having provided the voice for Rocket Raccoon in the MCU (most notably in Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxytrilogy). That said,the opportunity to see Bradley Cooper playing an iconic superhero in live-action would be very exciting. After all, he certainly looks the part of Jordan, especially one who will seemingly have a glowing service record with the Green Lantern Corps.
Bradley Cooper joining the DCU would certainly be a very cool addition. Likewise, Cooper has gone on record saying that he’d"follow Gunn anywhere". To that end, the chance to provide a dynamic and compelling Hal Jordan could prove to be an intriguing role for Cooper, especially in a series that will likely be more grounded with more dimension than the widely-panned 2011 movie.
8John Krasinski
Superhero Redemption In The DCU
Back in 2022, it seemed as thoughJohn Kransinski was poised to become the next Mister Fantastic in the MCU, leader of the Fantastic Four. This was due to his appearance inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswhere he was revealed to be a Reed Richards from another reality apart from the main MCU. Having been perfectly cast and looking exactly like Reed does in the comics, many were sad to see Marvel Studios going in a different direction for their upcomingFantastic Four(despite Pedro Pascal still being an exciting option for Mister Fantastic).
Now, perhaps the DCU’sLanternscan provide some redemption for Krasinki should he be interested. Although he’s certainly moved behind the camera in recent years,a bearded Krasinki is similarly a dead ringer for the primary artwork of Hal Jordanthat Gunn and Safran have used to promote theLanternsshow thus far (cover art fromGreen Lantern: Earth One Vol. 2). Likewise, Krasinski is no stranger to television by any means (The Office,Jack Reacher).
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows Doctor Strange as he navigates diverse and perilous alternate realities in the Multiverse with the aid of mystical allies. Directed by Sam Raimi, this installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduces a mysterious new adversary.
7Jensen Ackles
Maybe Batman Isn’t Meant To Be
Jensen Ackles had long campaigned to play a live-action Batman. He’s also already voiced animated versions of both The Dark Knight and Jason Todd’s Red Hood for Warner Bros over the years. However,one could argue that Ackles could just as easily portray DC’s greatest Green Lanternwhen and if the Caped Crusader doesn’t end up working out.
Having most recently playedSoldier Boy in Amazon’sThe Boys(a satire of Captain America), Ackles has proven his ability to play an older superhero (even one as corrupt and irreverent as Soldier Boy). As such, one could easily see him bringing a veteran Hal Jordan to life inLanterns. He’d also get the chance to have some stronger morals, while still portraying Jordan as the brazen rule-breaker he’s known to be in the comics.
The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
6James Marsden
Forget Cyclops, Become A Space Cop
When it comes to the superhero film genre, James Marsden is best known for playing the first live-actionCyclops in 20th Century Fox’s firstX-Mentrilogy. The team leader of the X-Men, Scott Summers was a no-nonsense hero who was largely underutilized on-screen. As such,a role like Green Lantern would hopefully allow Marsden to truly shine as a superhero in the DC Universe. He’s certainly had other roles that have proven his dynamic charm would be perfect for Hal Jordan.
X-Men
X-Men, released in 2000, introduces Wolverine and Rogue as they join Professor Xavier’s private academy for mutants. The resident superhero team, the X-Men, led by Xavier, confronts a terrorist organization of mutants with similar abilities, highlighting the ongoing conflict between humans and mutants.
5Jake Gyllenhaal
A Chance To Finally Be A Superhero
Since the early 2000s,Jake Gyllenhaal has nearly played two of the biggest superheroes of all time. First was when he almost replaced Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man for Sam Raimi’sSpider-Man 2. The second time was when he got quite far in the casting process for Christopher Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy, only for Christian Bale to get the role instead. That being said, Gyllenhaal did end up playing the Spider-Man villain Mysterio in 2019’sSpider-Man: Far From Home.
However,perhaps Hal Jordan could finally be the role that makes Jake Gyllenhaal a movie superhero. He certainly looks the part. Likewise, the idea thatLanternsmay mirror aTrue Detective-type procedural is the kind of project where Gyllenhaal could certainly thrive.
4Josh Duhamel
The Right Look And Age
Best known for his role in theTransformersfranchise as Captain Lennox, Josh Duhamel could certainly play an officer type where more fantastical/cosmic elements are at play. He also recently played the superhero known as the Utopian in Netflix’sJupiter’s Legacy, as well as providing the voice of Harvey Dent/Two-Face in the two-part animatedBatman: The Long Halloween.When all put together, Duhamel could easily play a superhero with military experience in the DC Universe.
Batman: The Long Halloween
In this two-part animated film, a serial killer terrorizes Gotham, killing on holidays. It’s up to Batman to find and stop the killer, while the Falcones, the Joker, and plenty of other old enemies seem determined to get in his way.
3Chris Pine
Maybe A Different DC Comics Pilot Will Work
Chris Pine could play a veteran Hal Joran in his sleep. After all, he’s already played a similar pilot from DC Comics. In the DCEU’sWonder Womanmovies,Pine played Captain Steve Trevorwho crashed his plane on the island of the Amazons known as Themyscira,eventually becoming the love interest of Princess Diana aka Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot).
Having also voiced a version of Spider-Man in Sony’s animatedInto the Spider-Verse,Chris Pine is no stranger to roles in the superhero film genre. As such, it could be very interesting to see him in a more prominent role in the new DCU, one that would see him paired with new recruit John Stewart. He’d also have great chemistry with Nathan Fillion who’s already been cast as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner in James Gunn’sSuperman.
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is directed by Patty Jenkins and introduces Diana, an Amazon princess, who ventures into the world of Man during World War I to combat the forces of evil and strive for peace. This film is a part of the larger DC Extended Universe.
2Boyd Holbrook
He Could Finally Play The Good Guy
While there are exceptions, Boyd Holbrook has more often than not been cast as the bad guy in franchise projects (Logan,Sandman,Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny). As such,to see Holbrook in the role of a superhero as good and as fearless as Hal Jordan could be very compelling. That said, one could also see Holbrook being perfect when and if Hal Jordan were to face some sort of corruption as he famously did in the comics with the fear entity known as Parallax.
1Ryan Reynolds
Second Time’s The Charm?
While very unlikely,one has to wonder if Ryan Reynolds could ever be convinced to return as Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern for the DCU. Having played Jordan in the 2011Green Lanternmovie, Reynolds has gone on record saying that it was one of the worst films he’s ever been in. Likewise,hilarious Green Lantern jokes were made at the DC’s movie’s expense in both of Reynolds’Deadpoolmovies(perhaps there will even be a third in the MCU’sDeadpool and Wolverine).
That said, there’s no denying that it would be a huge draw if all parties were in agreement, and Reynolds actually agreed to take another crack at the role.Lanternswill likely have a far better and more dynamic narrative with far better visuals and a stronger execution than the 2011 film. Likewise, many have agreed that Reynolds' casting as Jordan was never the problem, and was in fact the movie’s greatest (if only) strength.
Lanterns
Lanterns: John Stewart and Hal Jordan, intergalactic law enforcers, unite in this series to investigate a murder mystery set in the American heartland, intertwining their efforts in the defense of Earth.
