Nathan Fillion’s Next Gig Is Great News for Green Lantern Fans

I friggin love Green Lantern. The superhero with the magic power ring that allows them to fly through space and create (mostly) whatever they wish out of sheer willpower is never far from my comic book pull list. Plenty of fantastic stories have been told about the character(s), especially in the last two decades. While the movie ended up being a dud, it didn’t take away from just how magical Green Lantern is (especially the original one). There’s lots to love about the ole ring-slinger, but chief among their positives is that there are thousands of them!

While the original Green Lantern was a man who found a magic lantern and ring, a new version was later introduced that is basically a space cop. The ring was no longer fueled by magic and instead became a technologically advanced weapon fueled by willpower and connected to a giant power battery that harnesses it on the planet Oa. Oa is (usually) run by an immortal race of little blue beings called the Guardians. These Guardians have divided the universe into 3600 sectors of space, each of which is guarded by two of the 7200 Green Lanterns that make up the Green Lantern Corps.

Of those 7200 Green Lanterns, only a small handful are human. That number has grown significantly over the last fifty years (and shot up exponentially in the last ten). Most Lanterns are aliens who can resemble giant, pig-like monsters, small squirrels, and everything in between. Some are robots, others are lizards, and one is a giant planet! That adds to the appeal of the character: it can kind of be anyone. You don’t have to come from a doomed planet or have your parents killed in front of you. You need strong willpower (and to, essentially, win the cosmic lottery. But still.).

One of the human Green Lanterns, who was the second of the “space cop variety” to be introduced, is named Guy Gardner. The red-haired and hot-tempered Lantern was created in the late ’60s and has become a bit of a fan favorite. People take him seriously; maybe even too seriously. Gardner, who will be played by Nathan Fillion in James Gunn’s Superman, will be sporting a bowl haircut in the movie. He’s had that (admittedly silly) cut many times in the comics. Some fans saw its inclusion in the movie as a slight against the character, which was an absurd thing to assume. That said, I didn’t expect Gardner to last long in the DCU adventure.

Not only is Fillion’s Gardner sporting the bowl cut but his costume doesn’t look very … cool. I don’t know how else to say that. It could be intentional. Gunn might not want audiences to take the character seriously (which is fine). He may not want people to take the entire picture seriously (also fine). Until today, I wouldn’t have expected him to make it out of the movie alive. New Green Lanterns are chosen when they die by their ring zooming off to find a replacement. Gardner’s death could set up the now-in-production television show about the space cops. I may have been premature in my thinking.

It was announced today that Fillion will be joining stars Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler in Lanterns. They will be playing fellow human Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan respectively. Gardner could still perish in Superman, his ring going to new recruit John Stewart, and kicking off the events of the new show. Or, he could be in it as a supporting character. Given that the show has been described as being similar to True Detective in tone, the latter seems unlikely, especially with how Gardner is designed. However, Lanterns could also showcase what Gunn has often teased: that his DCU will contain many styles and tones like their comic book inspirations.

For now, we’ll have to wait and see. Gardner is a big ole jerk and seeing him interact with his fellow human Lanterns could be a lot of fun. We also know that the infamous Green Lantern Sinestro has been cast. I’m ready to see the doors blasted off. Gimme human Green Lanterns. Gimme insect Green Lanterns. Gimme all 7200, I don’t care. Just don’t make one of their biggest arch-enemies a cloud again. Please.