The DC Extended Universe hasn't exactly blown comic book movie fans away to date.
Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad all underwhelmed on the
whole - and something needs to be done to vamp the franchise up.
The introduction of the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps will undoubtedly help
to do that, with the first Justice League movie hitting theatres in 2017, a sequel following
in 2019, and a Green Lantern Corps movie in 2020.
At least one member of the new Green Lantern Corps will no doubt end up joining the Justice
League - and DC and Warner Brothers will want to make sure they get the actors right, after
the Ryan Reynolds version flopped so badly in 2011.
So, based on the assumption that the main Green Lantern of the DCEU will either be John
Stewart or Hal Jordan, both of which have been rumoured, let's take a look of some potentially
suitable candidates to portray them.
Here are ten amazing actors who could play Green Lantern in the DCEU Justice League.
Nathan Fillion (Hal Jordan) Now, the Ryan Reynolds depiction of Hal Jordan
back in 2011 might have led you to believe that Hal Jordan is... well...
like Ryan Reynolds - but he really isn't.
In the comic books, Jordan is certainly quite reckless through his absolute lack of fear
towards anything, but he's not the cocky moron with the childish sense of humour that Reynolds
portrayed him as.He's a fearless leader with willpower in droves - something Firefly actor
Nathan Fillion could portray effortlessly; heck, that's exactly what his Firely character
Malcolm Reynolds was all about.
Moreover, Fillion has voiced Jordan superbly in a number of DC animated features and it
would be awesome to see him reprise that role in live action.
Tyrese Gibson (John Stewart) One of the most regularly-linked actors to
the role of John Stewart in the DCEU is Tyrese Gibson - and with good reason.
Gibson would make a great John Stewart, having demonstrated the kind of regimented behaviour
required of the veteran U.S. Marine in his role as Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps
in the Transformers franchise, and the reckless fearlessness of a Green Lantern in his role
as Roman Pearce in the Fast and Furious franchise.The only issue with Gibson is his age.
John Stewart is an extremely experienced man in his mid-forties and Tyrese Gibson is a
fairly youthful-looking 37, making him the youngest actor to potentially portray the
character on this list - but don't rule him out.
Ben McKenzie (Hal Jordan) Although he's far from being the best-known
actor on this list, staunch DC fans will already be extremely familiar with Ben McKenzie, as
he has portrayed a young version of James Gordon in the television series Gotham since
2014.
The show has received generally positive reviews - even if it is a little tedious at times
- but McKenzie has undoubtedly been the best thing about it, which bodes well for his future.He'd
make a great Hal Jordan and his portrayal of Gordon epitomises why.
Gotham's version of the character is a no-nonsense, fearless, determined young cop whose persona
would carry over to that of a galaxy-defending Green Lantern quite effortlessly.
Michael Jai White (John Stewart) The all-action Michael Jai White would undoubtedly
be able to portray John Stewart.
At 48, he's the right age for the role and would be ideal as a supporting actor in the
live action Justice League.
He's no stranger to superhero movies, having previously appeared in two Toxic Avenger outings,
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, The Dark Knight and, most notably,
as the titular character in Spawn.Spawn was a terrible movie, but Jai White wasn't to
blame for that - he actually came out of it looking okay.
His no-nonsense persona and willingness to get his hands dirty would enable him to portray
a kick-ass version of Stewart, with exactly the right look for the character to boot.
Brett Dalton (Hal Jordan) Although he's 33, Brett Dalton hasn't been
acting all that long and hasn't had too many high-profile roles, but his most prominent
and well-known role is enough to prove that he'd actually be a pretty decent outsider
option for the role of Hal Jordan in the DCEU.Dalton played Agent Grant Ward in ABC's Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D.
- a role that increased in its complexity until, ultimately, he became the villain known
as Hive.
As Ward, he conveyed the required organised and controlled behaviour of a member of the
Green Lantern Corps and, as Hive he conveyed the stern ruthlessness that is often required
of them too.
He has the right look and the acting chops to give an excellent portrayal of Hal Jordan
- although his Marvel links might make that difficult.
Terrence Howard (John Stewart) Simply put, Terrence Howard would make a fantastic
John Stewart.
He's the right age and undoubtedly has the acting ability, having been nominated for
the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in 2005's Hustle & Flow.
Moreover, he has proven himself in a role fairly similar to that of John Stewart.Howard
played Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes in the first Iron Man movie - Rhodey being a veteran
of the U.S. army who became a superhero, just like Stewart did - before being replaced by
Don Cheadle thereafter.
Howard's treatment by Marvel was reported to be quite bad, so it would really be a show
of defiance if he was to appear as an iconic DC hero on screen.
Matt Damon (Hal Jordan) Matt Damon is obviously a fantastic actor.
Ben Affleck's buddy has earned three Academy Award nominations over the years, as well
as winning one for writing the Good Will Hunting screenplay, and has proven that he can play
a variety of very different roles.
He has the "all-action" thing down - as proven in the Bourne movies - and would make a fantastic
Hal Jordan.Damon has been strongly linked with roles in the DCEU ever since Affleck
was cast as Batman in the franchise - but the roles in question have generally been
Robin, Nightwing and Green Arrow - and seeing him cast as Jordan and fighting alongside
Affleck's Batman in the Justice League movies would be fantastic.
Idris Elba (John Stewart) Idris Elba has been mentioned in the same
breath as John Stewart for a long time, and with good reason - he'd make an absolutely
fantastic live action version of the character.
A number of his past roles make him perfect for the role - most notably his role as the
no-nonsense DCI John Luther in the BBC series Luther.He also has great experience in comic
book movies, having appeared in The Losers, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and, most
notably, three movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Heimdall - a role in which he
also protects the galaxy from evil threats, like Stewart does.
Elba is currently tied up in his MCU role, so acting in a DC movie could prove difficult,
but he really doesn't enjoy working for Marvel Studios, so he'd surely jump at the chance
to cross the DC/Marvel divide as soon as possible.
Matt Smith (Hal Jordan) This might seem like something of an "out
there" idea, but British actor Matt Smith could make an extremely interesting Hal Jordan.
Having already portrayed the galaxy-protecting Doctor in the iconic BBC television series
Doctor Who, he also more recently proved that he can do action in 2015's Terminator Genisys,
in which he portrayed the physical embodiment of Skynet.The Doctor Who role alone proves
that Smith can do almost anything as an actor.
He had to convey a vast range of emotions and traits as the Doctor; from being playful,
curious, creative and eccentric to being angry, determined, wilful and downright brutal, and
it would be awesome to see the classically-trained actor defending the galaxy once more as part
of the DCEU Justice League.
Denzel Washington (John Stewart) Although he's the oldest actor on this list
at 61, Denzel Washington looks considerably younger than that - like he's in his mid-forties
- and he would make a fantastic John Stewart.
Washington's talent is unquestionable - he's been nominated for six Academy Awards and
won two - and he can turn his acting hand to anything.He has, in fact, been linked to
the Stewart role in the press over the past couple of years, and it's easy to see why.
He's played army veterans in movies like Crimson Tide, Virtuosity, Courage Under Fire and The
Manchurian Candidate, and generally tough guys in the likes of The Hurricane, American
Gangster and The Equalizer - he'd pull the John Stewart role off with ease and would
add some real experience to the DCEU Justice League.
Thanks for watching our video of ten amazing actors who could play Green Lantern in the
DCEU Justice League.
Did you enjoy this video?
Which other actors would be great in the role?
Have your say in the comments section below and be sure to subscribe to our channel for
more great videos like this one.