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Green Lantern: Seth Grahame-Smith Talks "Gigantic" HBO Max Series

Published Mon, 25 Oct 2021 09:38:12 -0500

With production underway on Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Seth Grahame-Smith's HBO Max series Green Lantern, Grahame-Smith is offering a little more insight into the Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine-starring project. During a recent press junket for the Disney+ supernatural anthology series Just Beyond, Grahame-Smith discussed the size & scope of the series as well as how he schooled himself in the world of Green Lantern. "Yeah, that show is gigantic," Grahame-Smith revealed during an interview with Collider. "It has taken quite a bit of time to get to this point and it's just a big, big undertaking. It's going really well. All I can say is that it's going really well and there are gonna be Green Lanterns in it, and it's gonna be on HBO Max."

As for his comic book knowledge of the character, Grahame-Smith explains that most of his exposure to DC Comics' characters came via the big screen and that he was a late bloomer when it came to the ring-slinger. "I'll admit, I wasn't like a huge comic book kid. I was a huge movie kid. And so, my introduction to DC Comics came through the '89 Batman movie. When that movie came out, I was like, "Oh, my God, Batman is the coolest," and I started reading Batman comic books. But Green Lantern is something that, to be honest with you, just came to me later, by way of just talking about doing the show. The possibility of doing the show led me down a deep dive of Green Lantern lore. We'll see. It's gonna be awhile before the world gets to see that, but we are very, very busy at work, as we speak.

Though a "hulking mass of masculinity" and "an embodiment of 1980s hyper-patriotism," Wittrock's Guy Gardner (much like in the comics) still finds a way to be likable even when you don't want to like him. In an interview with EW from late August, Wittrock offered some updates on how production was going, how he studied for the role, and more:

"Green Lantern" Isn't What You're Expecting: "It is really cool how sprawling a storyline it is. It's pretty epic. It spans time and space and has something for everyone. It's not your average superhero story," Wittrock explains. "People will be really, really pleasantly surprised."

Guy Gardner May Be a "Polarizing Figure" But There's A Lot to Love: "He takes on a lot of this show. He's a pretty big part of it. I think it's an interesting way in [to the story]. It's not the conventional way in, but I think people might see a side of him they didn't know was there," Wittrock said.

Yes, Wittrock Watched Ryan Reynolds' 2011 Film: "It [2011 Green Lantern] definitely was something that was in my head. In some ways, it's almost better. I think it offers a chance to reinvent the whole thing and you're not going to have… I mean, no offense to the movie. It is what it is, but you're not going to have people who are dying for the creation of that movie. [The show] can be its own new interpretation," Wittrock explained.

"Green Lantern" Was Made for Streaming: "There's a lot of story there. I think maybe it was just too much to fit into a movie. We have the time and the space, thanks to HBO, to really explore a lot of it on a big scale. I think it's going to be a different animal, to be honest," Wittrock teased.

The 10-episode Green Lantern is set to span decades and galaxies- beginning on Earth in 1941 with the very first Green Lantern, secretly gay FBI agent Alan Scott (Irvine), and 1984, with cocky alpha male Guy Gardner (Wittrock) and half-alien Bree Jarta. Along the way, they will encounter a number of both new and familiar Lanterns: Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Sinestro, and Kilowog are also expected to appear. Lee Toland Krieger (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Superman & Lois) is set to helm the first two episodes. Berlanti, Guggenheim, and Grahame-Smith will executive produce alongside Geoff Johns, Sarah Schechter, David Madden, and David Katzenberg– with Elizabeth Hunter and Sara Saedi co-executive producing.

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