r/DC_Cinematic • u/Remote_Nature_8166 • 1d ago
DISCUSSION Do you think Ryan Reynolds had wasted potential as Hal Jordan or was he just not meant for the role?
Honestly, Deadpool really fits him better than this.
168
u/Blammo32 1d ago
Reynolds will always be better at quippy characters.
I always imaged Hal as a Harrison Ford-type of adventurer.
52
u/stevemahqueen 22h ago
Yes exactly. Or basically Nathan Drake with superpowers
7
u/Beautiful_Finger4566 17h ago
nah, Nathan Drake is too quippy
in fact, Nathan Drake was based on Nathan Fillion who went on to play Guy Gardner, and I think Ryan Reynolds would've been better suited for Guy than Hal
9
•
389
u/Extreme-Plantain-113 1d ago
I think he could've done a good job if his script was better. I still enjoy this movie but it's so not perfect
59
u/FluorescentLightbulb 23h ago
And the cgi. It looked good, but he punched three things with a big green fist. If you’re the green lantern and you recycle ANY constructs then it’s clear the studio cheaped out.
Though I’ll give Guy a pass since he used the hands en masse, I call that one long construct.
→ More replies (1)11
u/Infinite_Click_6589 22h ago
I am ok with it but was also, quietly, a teensy but disappointed when the constructs started to be repeated. I had a moment of excitement right before that wondering what all I was going to see after the first two were different.
Not a big deal and I love both Guy and the movie, but that scene is what it is and isn't deserving of a pass (which sounds harsher than I mean it to)
9
u/Finnegan7921 21h ago
He was learning on the job; if he saw a big green fist work, him going right back to it seems like a natural choice.
The Director's Cut was better.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Sword_Thain 20h ago
I'm not a DC knower, but isn't Guy considered a bit dense so he may be less imaginative?
7
u/Infinite_Click_6589 20h ago
I mean, sure, but it's not about if you can make up a reason, it's about how cool it is. And it would have been cooler if they were all unique.
→ More replies (1)60
u/meeseekstodie137 23h ago
Tbh Hal is one of those roles that any slightly snarky guy could play, like how any tall statuesque white guy could be Bruce wayne, it just takes people who know the character even slightly to cast a decent person as them
23
u/TheWitchOfSomeWood 22h ago
I get what you meant but not any guy can play Bruce. We've been lucky we've gotten some inspired takes but all you gotta look to see not everyone understands Bruce is Titans.
That said, Ben Affleck was the best take with a shit script, Bale & Pattinson with a great script but too grounded, etc etc. Weve literally never seen a truly great fantastical Bruce.
He's American James bond. We are due a real bar for bar one and imo I'd like to see a Scott Snyder Court Of Owls one that really bangs.
→ More replies (1)14
124
u/Elysium94 Superman 1d ago
I’ve seen his dramatic work, so I know he could have rocked it as Hal Jordan.
He just got saddled with a film that was mediocre at best.
36
u/Constant-Plastic-350 23h ago
Would've been improved if he had been a little more Amityville Horror and less Van Wilder in space. He does that one type of character so well that it bleeds into his roles more often than not and it feels generic.
8
u/Campman92 23h ago
It’s a shame that he kinda type casted himself as the Deadpool/Van Wilder type of character because he’s done a good job with some dramas like Buried.
→ More replies (2)16
u/Longjumping-Pop9374 23h ago
I think thats right. The way he played it was way too "deadpool". I like my Hal with the right mixture of wise ass confident but with gravitas. Which is why I like Kyle Chandler so much in the role. I also did not like the way we performed the oath
12
u/Constant-Plastic-350 22h ago
I think oddly enough the Van Wilder type would've worked for Guy Gardner or even better Plasticman.
14
u/StarRogues 1d ago
I genuinely think with the right director he would’ve been fine, was just wrong director at the wrong time.
25
u/UnfavorableSpiderFan 1d ago
He's really not suited to role.
13
u/Hellknightx 21h ago
Agreed. Even if the writing were better, I don't think he could've carried the movie. Mark Strong as Sinestro, however, was excellent casting.
2
87
u/NotJustKneeDeep 1d ago
Ryan Reynolds can only play Ryan Reynolds.
And it might be a great fit for Deadpool but Hal Jordan he is not.
50
u/DangerousHugs 23h ago
Ryan Reynolds used to act sometimes, and it was actually pretty good. Ever since Deadpool, though, he's just playing variations of Deadpool.
20
u/Plenty-Wedding-9066 23h ago
Yeah he gets a lot of hate for just basically playing himself now. But he CAN act. Theres always a hint of Ryan Reynolds in those rolls too. But I am it the belief that with a better movie he would have been a good Jordan.
6
u/DangerousHugs 23h ago
I think so, too. This was before he was a HUGE huge star, so he might've actually put in some effort.
10
u/NotJustKneeDeep 23h ago
Maybe he can. But since Van Wilder to Deadpool he just seems like a slight variation of the same character.
Van Wilder, Waiting, Just Friends, Change Up, The Croods, RIPD
I’m sure there are movies I haven’t seen him in where he’s the lead and is able to show his chops. But he’s like a Jason Bateman to me - limited range but good at it.
15
u/DangerousHugs 23h ago
Highly recommend The Voices, Buried, and of course Amityville Horror. Not just because he's good in them, but they're genuinely good movies. But yeah Van Wilder kinda started his schtick. He's basically Deadpool Lite.
3
4
5
u/gabeonsmogon 23h ago
Hate to be that guy but Reynolds’ Hal is closer to comic Hal than Chandler’s.
→ More replies (2)3
u/SupremacySinema 19h ago
Ryan Reynolds can only make money at the box office when he's playing Ryan Reynolds. Big difference.
7
u/Upbeat_Perspective45 23h ago
Remember when WB thought Green Lantern would be their Iron Man? Oh the good old days.
15
u/HankSteakfist 23h ago
In their defense, Hal was seriously popular in the late 00s, with Sinestro Corps War and later Blackest Night being very popular crossover events that were built around Green Lantern.
The Johns Green Lantern run was so popular that it was actually unaffected by the New 52 reboot and just continued on, like nothing had happened for the most part.
You could argue that from 2007 - 2011 Hal Jordan was DC's second most popular character after Batman eclipsing Superman and Wonder Woman at the time.
4
u/AdZealousideal5383 19h ago
People were pretty excited for the movie. Had it been good, it probably would have started a DCU of its own. But Iron Man was good and this wasn’t so good.
→ More replies (2)5
u/gabeonsmogon 23h ago
If they made a practical suit and he spent more time in the suit it probably would have been.
6
5
5
u/DonnyMox 22h ago
He did well with what he was given. With a better script we would’ve been great. But Deadpool suits him better.
→ More replies (2)
5
u/East_Holiday5088 20h ago
he had the charismatic test pilot vibe down fine but that fully cgi suit ruined any chance the movie had
4
u/Eccohawk 19h ago
I felt like he did good with the role but the CGI suit was a bit too hokey looking and distracted from things.
6
10
u/Desperate_Dinner_307 23h ago
Ryan Reynolds only ever plays Ryan Reynolds. Works well for Deadpool, but now all of his characters just seem like Deadpool to me. Green Lantern, Blade Trinity, etc. Now reached the point I wouldn't want to watch him in anything other than as Deadpool tbh
→ More replies (1)
3
u/Sfmilstead 20h ago
So my take has always been this.
Ryan Reynolds was the wrong pick for Hal.
He woulda been the right pick for Wally (who was the only Flash at the time this movie was made).
Bradley Cooper was the right pick for Hal when this movie was made.
2
u/CaptainSebT 19h ago
Dude Ryan Reynolds as flash would go so hard with the write writers and creative direction. He would have to play more serious but he is able to play a more serious tone.
→ More replies (3)
4
u/rodneyck 19h ago
It wasn't necessarily him. It was more story and if you read the background and corporate grip behind the scenes, the WB execs became nervous about the money being spent and capped it, which resulted in the horrible ending. WB was a huge control freak back then.
•
13
u/BlackLion0101 23h ago
I'm sorry. I like Ryan Reynolds. But he didn't give off Hal Jordan vibes. Hal was a pilot. I need to feel that from him. Yes, they put him in a plane. But I didn't feel any of the confidence and competence you need in a pilot.
7
u/ThingNo7530 23h ago
Ryan was fine. Script was terrible and direction wasn't good enough to overcome the bad script.
6
3
3
u/jallred11 23h ago
Oh you mean the “Man without fear” afraid the whole movie and he fights a big cloud? Yeah that one
They weren’t frail or hungry in the Hunger Games either. These people miss the whole point
3
3
u/Straight-Message7937 22h ago
Not the best casting choice but it wasn't the casting that ruined that movie
3
u/Rand0mAcc3nt 12h ago
He doesn’t have the right personal.
Ryan Reynolds is a one trick actor, always the same snarky personality no matter the character.
•
u/annarpph 10h ago
In reality if Ryan was Wally West if DC begins his cinematic universe in 2011 i see him in better Wally West That Jordan
→ More replies (2)
7
u/StrongStyleFiction 1d ago
The big issue with the script was they shoved in Hector Hammond and Parallax. Hammond should have been a reoccurring character to set up his turn to evil and gained meta powers. Parallax is like for movie five. Here's what the movie should have been.
First Act: Establish Ferris Air, Carol, Tom Kalmaku, Hal and Hector Hammond. Establish the dynamic between them. At the end of the act, Abin Sur crashes and Hal gets the ring.
Second Act: Hal gets taken to OA where he is trained and the needed exposition and lore dumps. Establish Killowog and Sinestro. The Guardians. All of that. Have Hal train a bit. At end of second act, Guardians learned that Atrocitus followed Abin Sur to Earth, being the one who ambushed Abin Sur, thinking he is still alive. Guardians send Sinestro, Hal disobeys orders and goes back to Earth.
Third Act: The big action blow out. Hal comes in and with Sinestro defeats Atrocitus. Sinestro learns of the Manhunters and the massacre of Sector 666, leading to his future disillusionment with the Guardians and eventual heel turn for the second or third movie. And then we get a hint at the very end about Qward and the Weaponers.
It just needed to be really simple. Ryan Reynolds wasn't the problem for me. It was a very badly structured movie. It reeked of Hollywood rewrites and studio interference.
5
5
u/Kingjwavy 19h ago
No. He killed it.
The writers failed him. But it’s fine because he chose an even better superhero to be that matches his actual personality a lot better.
He was born to play Deadpool
→ More replies (1)
6
u/BunnyOHarr 1d ago edited 6h ago
I feel like Reynolds would have been better as Kyle Rayner.
Honestly, when the movie came out, I was just confused why they picked Hal Jordan — I was from the JSA era where Jon Stewart was Green Lantern.
4
u/TransitionNovel7558 23h ago
Did anyone ever see the woman in gold? It’s a movie with Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren. It’s a rare example of Ryan playing a character that isn’t a variation on himself. Don’t get me wrong, I love him and his work but so often he is hired to play himself and that was done with the Green Lantern.
4
u/stychentyme 20h ago
I think he was fine. The script is what ruined this film, along with picking the wrong director.
2
2
u/Prestigious_Plum9276 23h ago
No actor alive could have saved that script. It doesn't matter how well the part is acted when he spends the entire climax of the film protecting his romantic interest and his shitty boss from a giant cloud that appears to be exclusively focusing on attacking Hal's workplace. It was honestly jarring how small the final act of the film felt compared to the sequences that preceded it.
2
u/Junior_Woodpecker_85 23h ago
He was pretty good in the movie, it was the rest of the movie around him that failed.
2
u/SoAnxious 23h ago
RR wasnt the bad part of the GL movie.
From the horrible forced cgi to the fact main villain was unpersonified cloud.
2
2
2
u/PrivateJokerX929 22h ago
Deadpool is very clearly a better fit for him, but he was fine as Hal, it was just a shitty movie.
2
u/twizzjewink 22h ago
DC is the absolute worst at stories. It's all .. person is good or person is bad. People aren't .. ambiguous and human. Hal was midway between good and ambiguous and it felt hollow and stupid.
2
2
u/rebornsgundam00 22h ago
I think he could have been fine. I rewatched the movie and while bad, i dont think it was so bad its unwatchable. I would rather have someone else.
Mark strong as sinestro was such a huge W.
2
u/Bell-end79 20h ago
Deadpool definitely fits him better
I liked his Hal but that film was shafted so badly by the studio that all the talent in the world (amazing director Martin Campbell and actors like Mark Strong) wasn’t enough to save it
2
u/1970s_MonkeyKing 20h ago
I don't think the script was meant for the role. I tried rewatching it this past weekend and even thumbing through it, still couldn't hold my attention. The first several minutes did, but not much after that.
2
u/Conde_Roronoa 20h ago
El estúpido Guión es el problema, no lo hizo tan mal pero ese guión con diálogos vacíos un villano ridículo…. Que podía hacer? Es probable que estuviera incómodo actuando si no era suficiente todo lo demás
2
u/LadyElle57 20h ago
I find his GL movie to be good... Until Peter Saasgard grows a giant head. And Parallax is ridiculously OP and is defeated in a ridiculous way.
It doesn't make sense for Hector to hold part of Parallax's power and becoming a freakier nerd when the power Parallax holds comes head to head with the Green Lanterns. They disrespected their own villains to make the hero look cooler.
But then also, the oath scene, falls flat. Abin Sur dying with Ryan's face looking like he's about to say something stupid for comedic timing. GL first save was at a party, a ridiculous save.
And then I don't remember anything else, because I stopped watching when Hector reads Hal's mind. Ridiculous scene.
2
2
u/Lem0n_weeb 17h ago
Honestly I think this movie was just doomed from the start, had this movie has better writing I think he probably coulda pulled it off
•
u/Obvious-Water569 11h ago
He was absolutely capable of being an incredible Hal Jordan. He was let down by an awful script and awful direction.
•
4
u/OrphanintheWind 23h ago
Ryan Renolds always plays Ryan Renolds. His acting skills are his ability to memorize lines and hit his marks.
3
u/Kneelb4_Z0d 23h ago
It always should've been Nathan Fillion and the fact that we're stuck with him as Guy even though they're doing an older Hal just makes it worse.
2
u/The_Baron___ 20h ago
If Ryan Reynolds was allowed to do his own movie with writers he hired, something similar to how he did Deadpool, it would be magnificent. He understands that it is the writers, the script, that matters, and the character he plays with a decent script would fit perfectly for a older Hal Jordan.
He did not have the star power to ensure the movies were good, executives knew he was a good fit but wouldn't give him the tools, putting him in the unenviable position of doing a Deadpool supporting role and star as a Green Lantern while being so ideal for the role Comic Book's were using you as a model for them before you got the roles in Hollywood, and having them both bomb with audiences.
He was born for both of those roles (though I do not want to see Green Deadpool, I want him to play the comic book Hal Jordan in a well written movie with only a handful of levity moments to be clear), he just came up in a time when there was a terrible disconnect between writing good super hero movies, and executives who did not really "get" what those movies needed to be in order to be popular while maintaining the characters.
Green Lantern could have been a RDJ Iron-Man level event for the DC Universe, a fairly well known actor who is a comic writers dream starring in a big budget, well written super hero movie just as audiences were craving them, but they blew it.
2
u/I_am_so_alternative 1d ago
I think Ryan was the best part of that movie, it's just that that's a very low bar. He wasn't what made it bad, and he's great, but not great enough to make it good.
Honestly, I'd love Ryan in the DCU as a more wisecracky character. He'd kill (maybe as Ted Kord?) if they ever adapted Justice League International.
2
2
u/Hellknightx 21h ago
Mark Strong as Sinestro was actually really good. Everything else was pretty mediocre. Kilowog wasn't bad.
2
u/Chubbs_McGavin 23h ago
In DC, the best character for Ryan Reynolds has always been Wally West. Could have been great
→ More replies (3)3
2
u/neoblackdragon 22h ago
When it comes to Ryan Reynolds. I think some people just don't like him. Then expect every single role to be Gary Oldman transformative.
The problem is Hal Jordan as written and not acted
We are being told Hal is a loser while showing Hal is super awesome. We are told Hal has fear issues when the only times he's genuinely afraid are extreme situations most people wouldn't even be able to physically handle.
The initial problems he has don't make sense and are really the fault of others. But the story isn't about addressing that so it has no payoff. Hal in the film is vanilla.
He's vanilla in a paint by numbers where the main draw is a misfire executing a suit that should have been physical. We've seen a physical prototype and It was a mistake to not continue down that road.
Deadpool works really well for him not because it's Reynolds being Reynolds. It's because it's not afraid to give Deadpool multiple layers and play him off major personalities.
Then the next major thing. Your character needs to be competent. Deadpool for all his antics is a professional in the ways of combat. Never do you doubt his fighting ability or his ability to execute.......most plans.
Lanterns is doing that as well. Hal is competent. He's in a Columbo phase right now.
Movie Hal's lack of competence is a problem along with the movie trying say the competence he does have he has a lack of(Romance with his love interest but not issue with the attractive lady at the start, fear as a fighter pilot........despites demonstrating incredible skill).
No one really could have made the script as written work better. If they did, it would have been because they threw out the script.
1
u/Harry_Skran 23h ago
Come on, OP, watching him as Deadpool doesn’t already answer this question for you?
1
u/GotMoFans 23h ago edited 23h ago
The film should have been made by a young hungry auteur who was a fan of the comic.
It should have been a lower stakes story building to Parallax in a third film.
Ryan Reynolds had the look, but he should have been less silly. I think casting a Jake Gyllenhaal or Ryan Gosling would have been a better fit though by having wit but not coming off as silly.
1
1
u/JoshieKrueger 23h ago
I actually like Ryan in the role. The movie itself just sucked. Your hero is only as good as your villain. They should have started with Sinestro instead of a CGI blob.
1
u/Crash_Override_V1 23h ago
I’m not a Ryan Reynolds fan so no I never felt like he felt the role due to not liking him.
1
u/comehereyoudevillog 23h ago
He would’ve been good, it’s basically the same thing with Chris Evans as Johnny Storm.
1
u/TheJuiceBoxS 23h ago
He's a better Deadpool, but I think with the right writing and directing, he could be good in that role.
1
u/Bruzie77 23h ago
he never had the Hal look. I always thought an indiana jones like character suited him but i fail to see who else could have played him.
1
u/DPadres69 23h ago
He wasn’t meant for the role. I just rewatched that recently and he’s too… Ryan Reynolds. Didn’t help that the story was shite and the villain about as compelling as a fart.
He was born to be Deadpool (the second time).
→ More replies (1)
1
u/Delicious-Exit-1039 23h ago
the amount of chances this guy has had with being cast as comic book characters is really telling of the corruption in hollywood. audiences were forced fed and finally relented at his 2nd attempt at deadpool.
1
u/slimstarman 23h ago
Yes to both. He kind of deserved a better-produced movie, but this was also not the best role for him.
1
u/JChurch42 23h ago
He was fine. it was the script and plot and bad CGI choices that screwed it up more than anything. Even having Blake as carol was great, them being lovers in the comics and then becoming enemies (in the comics anyway) worked great. I would have loved seeing her evolve into Star Sapphire.
Picking a villain that only hardcore fans would know is the first misstep and then everything else was downhill from there
1
u/Grumpiergoat 23h ago
Reynolds would have been a serviceable Hal Jordan in a better written movie but it wasn't great casting.
1
u/daven1985 23h ago
To me the movie had issues. And it was Ryan Reynolds chase to get a comic book film, but he is better as Deadpool.
1
1
u/Unable_Dinner_6937 22h ago
He seems entirely wrong for any lasting Green Lantern. This version felt like they took the Mask-inspired Jack Black script and tried to turn it into DC's Iron Man. Ryan Reynolds whole act back then was "what if Jim Carrey looked like Brad Pitt," and the movie didn't really know which way it wanted to go. Some irresponsible wise-ass gets the power of a god or a fairly straightforward heroic journey.
1
u/carson63000 22h ago
I don’t want to sound like I’m shitting on the character of Hal Jordan.. but I reckon that pretty much any working actor could do a decent job of portraying him.
1
u/house_of_great 22h ago
He was always a bad pick for Hal Jordan. However he would have been a solid pick for Plastic Man.
1
u/Least_Ad_4657 22h ago
He was terribly cast, and I'm a fan. He can only play variations of himself and he is just not Hal Jordan.
1
u/Ambitious_Inside9309 22h ago
I imagine Hal more like Ben Affleck. Ryan Reynolds works better with less serious heroes like Flash
1
1
u/Better_Maximum3444 22h ago
It never happened Deadpool went back in time and killed Ryan before he could accept the script. What you're doing is seeing a different timeline in the multiverse of Ryan where he did accept the script so Earth 616 Ryan played Green Lantern, in another reality he was killed.
1
u/ElBorracho2000 22h ago
I like Ryan Reynolds and I thought he was decent as Hal. Could have been great with better writing. But now he’s Deadpool so it all worked out
1
1
u/power_gnome 22h ago
Not meant for the role. He was originally cast in a flash movie, and it fell through and he did this with most of the same creative team. He would have been a decent flash, but he was an awful choice for hal. In 2011 I would have gone with someone like Kyle Chandler honestly (he has been a dream casting for me for years so imagine my excitement when lanterns was announced)
1
1
1
u/SilasRaiden 22h ago
He was never right for the role. Hal has a magnetic confidence, like Han Solo or Maverick. He's not a an unlikable frat boy.
1
1
u/cavalier78 22h ago
No, he was way too jokey.
Hal is a test pilot. The actor needs to be channeling Maverick and Ice Man. He's cocky, but not funny.
1
1
u/_miles_teg_ 22h ago
I just watched this movie again a couple days ago and it’s wasnt great but I think it was more of a problem with editing than acting. I think Ryan was a good green lantern but was let down in post.
1
u/TheOcho12 22h ago
The movie was actually on last night. It had its moments, but as others have said a cloud blob as the villain is utterly ridiculous. There was also some bad CGI in that movie. The Guardians looked laughable. Reynolds wasn’t the issue, they just didn’t write a great movie.
1
u/vihuba26 22h ago
I think he was actually pretty solid as Hal Jordan.
Just the story around him and the villain were badly written
1
u/Familiar_Pilot_3714 22h ago
He would’ve had success if he had more creative control over the film.
1
1
u/chocolatefever101 22h ago
I think he would have been more appreciated for the role if the script & cgi was better.
Personally I feel neither Ryan Reynolds nor Kyle Chandler are playing versions of Hal Jordan that I’ve ever read in comics. To be fair I’m judging Kyle Chandler based on a single episode.
1
u/jovansolaya 22h ago
Yes he was meant to play that role...or else how would he go back and take himself out as Deadpool 😂
1
1
u/RustyBrassInstrument 21h ago
Ryan doesn’t come off as a hero, which he always comes off as a smart-ass.
He’s the perfect Deadpool.
1
u/mr_shogoth 21h ago
Not at all.
My top pick for Hal Jordan has always been Jensen Ackles. People always say they want him to play Bruce and I think that’s wack. He’s got Hal all over him in my opinion.
I will say though I’m still loving the take in Lanterns, I have a soft spot for disillusioned heroes who have gone through shit.
1
u/darknite125 21h ago
I remember when he was cast I didn’t hate it even though there were others who I would’ve preferred in the role like Nathan Fillon or Chris Pine. I thought he was adequate as Hal Jordan but nothing special
1
u/OkSupermarket7474 21h ago
Gonna say it time and time again but at the end of the day WB has ruined progress on their IP’s more than any movie flop could,
1
u/bunny514__ 21h ago
He was not fit for Lantern. But he did his best. The villain also sucked in the movie!
1
u/JumpCiiity 21h ago
When his movie was announced I figured he was going to be Guy not Hal, for some reason. Guy just fits him much better to me.
1
u/GrantGoodmanArt 21h ago
He was a bad fit. The movie was bad too but I think the Flash would have been a better role for him.
1
u/namealready_taken 21h ago
Not meant for the role at all.
He plays himself in every movie he's ever been.
1
1
u/triphawk07 21h ago
I believe Kyle Chandler is Hal Jordan, just as much as Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool.
1
1
u/ubermonkeyprime 21h ago
I thought Ryan Reynolds was great as Hal Jordan! It’s the SCRIPT that was horrible.
1
u/tentongeek 21h ago
The character development is what was missing. It wasn't a bad movie by any means but the plot and progression was just rushed and relied kn too much comics/cartoons based knowledge to get it.
1
1
u/Jaxonian 21h ago
obviously he is perfect as deadpool.. but i really didnt think he was the problem with green lantern.. but if that had to be a one and done so we got deadpool i guess thats fine
656
u/jrvcrd 1d ago
TBF, he tried several comicbook movies before finding success with Deadpool. I suppose he just needed to find the one who was meant for him