Fifteen years after Green Lantern sank, Ryan Reynolds wants the ring back
Fifteen years on from Green Lantern, Ryan Reynolds fancies a Lanterns cameo — and HBO Max has had its say.
Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern feels almost like a distant fever dream now, doesn’t it? Fifteen years ago, he put on the ring and watched the film’s franchise hopes go up in smoke. Awkward start, but the DC hero’s finally found his feet, thanks to HBO Max’s new series Lanterns, fronted by Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan.
Reynolds throws his hat in
Turns out Reynolds isn’t running from those glowing green days. While doing the press rounds for his Apple TV film Mayday, he admitted he’d actually be up for appearing in the new show. Not a total shock, considering the character is inescapably linked to him for a whole generation of comic book film watchers. Anyway, HBO Max wasted no time taking the piss in the friendliest way: they promptly dropped him into a cheeky Lanterns promo on their socials, as if to say, we noticed you.
While promoting Mayday on Apple TV, Ryan Reynolds said, 'I would totally do a cameo in that. I would love it.'
So, is it more than banter? As it stands, there’s nothing official about Reynolds suiting up for a proper cameo, but given Lanterns has turned into one of HBO Max’s biggest success stories, you’d frankly have to work hard to rule him out for season two. Consider the door open, if not wide, then at least noticeably ajar.
Regrets? Not exactly
Anyone would forgive Reynolds for wanting to bury Green Lantern and pretend it never happened, but he’s surprisingly clear-eyed about it now. Yes, he’s well aware of what went wrong, but he reckons it pushed him to be sharper. On reflection, he admits there are real lessons in box office humiliation—mainly, don’t let the budget run wild or you end up with too much gloss and not enough grit. Oddly enough, Reynolds credits that whole wild ride as foundational for his career.
Speaking on his Green Lantern experience, Reynolds explained, 'I learned so much making that movie. And I know what you’re thinking, "Oh, you learned what not to do...", in part, yes. But also, anytime you’re makin something that large, there are core lessons that come of it. And I owe my entire career to that movie. It was really the foundation of how to make more for less. I think too much time and too much money and really hurt creativity.'
Mayday: streaming, not screening
If you’re keen to see what Reynolds is up to now (besides cameo speculation), you’ll find him in Mayday next to Kenneth Branagh, a pairing no one saw coming but apparently works a treat. It’s an action comedy out now on Apple TV. Plenty of people reckon it should have hit cinemas to give the summer a decent send-off—but instead, you’re stuck streaming it at home. For what it’s worth, the reviews are saying it’s worth a watch purely for Reynolds’ chemistry with Branagh, ranking it up there with his famous on-screen pairings like Hugh Jackman. Not a bad way to bounce back from superhero infamy.
Lanterns has become one of HBO Max’s most-watched new series since its debut.