Posted in: HBO, Preview, streaming, TV | Tagged: alan scott, green lantern, guy gardner, hbo max, killowog, Marc Guggeheim

Guggenheim Wants Green Lantern to "Get Right" What 2011 Film Got Wrong

The last time we checked in with how things were going with Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Seth Grahame-Smith's upcoming HBO Max series Green Lantern, we learned that Lee Toland Krieger (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Superman & Lois) was coming aboard the Jeremy Irvine (Treadstone) and Finn Wittrock (American Horror Story)-starring series. Krieger will be helming the first two episodes, written by Berlanti, Guggenheim, and Grahame-Smith, and stemming from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Now, Guggenheim is sharing some thoughts on the project- specifically, how he's looking "to get right what had been gotten wrong ten years ago" when 2011's Ryan Reynolds-starring Green Lantern hit screens with a big, green thud- and a story/screenplay listing Berlanti and Guggenheim.

Speaking with Comic Book Movie to promote Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans, Guggenheim explained that even though the HBO Max series has a number of Arrowverse veterans involved on the creative side that's where the similarities end, saying, "'Green Lantern', we're approaching it as doing it distinct from the Arrowverse. It's not going to have any creative tendrils. But yeah, myself, Greg Berlanti, Lamont Magee, Geoff Johns, we've all got experience in the Arrowverse." That said, Guggenheim is sure that they'll bring much of what they learned behind the scenes into the production. "I'm sure that in some way, shape, or form, the sensibilities but also a lot of lessons, we learned a lot of lessons across doing these shows both from a creative standpoint and a production standpoint. I'm sure we'll be bringing that experience to 'Green Lantern' as we get deeper and deeper into the series," he continued.

And as we mentioned earlier, Guggenheim also sees the project as an opportunity for him and Berlanti to "atone for some past film adaptation sins. "Greg and I have worked together for 16 years now. We've worked together on a lot of different things – some DC-related, some not DC-related. He came to me years ago, now, with the idea of 'DC is letting us do a 'Green Lantern' series for their streaming service, would you want to be involved?' And, I said, of course. Because of the movie and that experience, there's a strong desire on my part and on Greg's part to get right what had been gotten wrong ten years ago," Guggenheim explained while not mincing any words when it comes to his feelings about the film.

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. 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.

During a Rotten Tomatoes IG Live Q & A session (starting at the 15-minute mark), Wittrock explained that the audition process was "big" and "daunting"- going the old-school audition route with Wittrock showing up to audition at a studio in front of a group while also being filmed and looked at from various angles (nice casting director story, too). Wittrock said the audition was "way bigger than I thought it would be" and that he was told he had the part about a week later. The actor hasn't seen the suit yet since they won't be "filming for a while"- but since he's reading the comics, he joked about having concerns about how skin-tight the costume will be. Here's a look at the full interview:

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