It appears that Ryan Reynolds botched Green Lantern so much that not even the massive hype that resulted in Zack Snyder’s Justice League was enough to get the space-faring, ring-wielding protector of Sector 2814 back on the big screen.
Kidding aside, a human Green Lantern was notably absent from Zack Snyder’s Justice League. This is very surprising since the initial battle between the combined might of the Amazonians, Atlanteans, and the Gods of Olympus, as well as the rest of humanity, against Uxas (a younger pre-Darkseid version of the DCEU’s main big baddie), featured a green lantern. While Hal Jordan or John Stewart were not seen in the final version of both Joss Whedon’s Justice League from 2017 and Zack Snyder’s version from last year, there were plans to have him included. Snyder went as far as to cast Wayne T. Carr to play John Stewart and filmed a scene portraying him as the DC superhero during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown.
So, what happened? Warner Bros. asked Snyder to remove the part from the final product because of their plans for the character in the future.
While we probably won’t know what the studio behind the DC Extended Universe has planned for John Stewart for a while, we at least know how Carr would have looked had he appeared in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Give the fans what they want- JL 2/3#RestoreTheSnyderVerse
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In brightest day… pic.twitter.com/VS2kYj8ZlV— Wayne T. Carr (@WayneTCarr) March 18, 2022
Originally, Snyder wanted Carr’s Green Lantern to warn Bruce Wayne about Darkseid’s imminent arrival on Earth. Instead, that role went to The Martian Manhunter, who was played by Harry Lenix.
If we’re being honest, Stewart’s arrival as a Green Lantern at the end of the film would have made far more sense. Unlike The Martian Manhunter, who doesn’t patrol galaxies, the Lanterns do. His late arrival could also easily be explained by being a protector of multiple worlds, so he wouldn’t exactly be available at a moment’s notice to help out. Not to mention, because he knows a lot about the universe, Stewart is the perfect person to warn the Justice League, specifically Wayne, about their upcoming brush with the tyrannical ruler of Apokolips.
Having said that, all hope is not lost. Carr can still technically return to the DCEU to play Green Lantern if Zack Snyder has his way with his original trilogy plans. In addition, Warner Bros. could cast him for a future Green Lantern film. Warner Bros. has proven that it is not confining itself to the DCEU with the release of The Batman and its cinematic universe, so there’s still a chance that Carr will star in a feature film as John Stewart.
Unfortunately, all of these scenarios are a long shot right now for at least a year or two with Warner Bros.’ upcoming release slate filled with delayed blockbuster releases, starting with Black Adam on October 21.
Speaking of Warner Bros., the studio just enjoyed its best theatrical release in years with The Batman reaching the half-million mark after two weekends. The success of Matt Reeves’ take on the Dark Knight has resulted in discussions of multiple spin-offs, including one on Arkham Asylum as well as a confirmed project starring Collin Farrell as The Penguin.
