Remembering the Failed Green Lantern Movie Starring Jack Black
The Debacle that Was the Green Lantern Movie
Well, folks, it’s time to dust off some embarrassing memories. Remember the 2011 live-action Green Lantern movie? You know, the one where Ryan Reynolds played a Hal Jordan that was so unlikable, you’d cringe at every scene? Yeah, that one! But before we dive back into that, let’s talk about something that actually shines bright – the new HBO series Lanterns. Finally, it’s here and it’s… actually good! Can you believe it? Not only that, but it’s full of bizarre cosmic lore that makes it far more interesting than the dreary stills we were shown earlier.
But we’re not here to discuss the wins; let’s take a trip down memory lane to the absurdity of a long-gestating comedy version of Green Lantern starring none other than the king of quirks, Jack Black. Back in the 2000s, studios were jumping on the superhero bandwagon but had absolutely no idea what to do with it. While we had gems like Spider-Man and Batman Begins, there were also some colossal flops lurking in the shadows. Enter the ill-fated Jack Black version of Green Lantern.
When Comedy Meets Superheroics
So here’s the scoop: Warner Brothers thought it would be a great idea to get Saturday Night Live writer Robert Smigel – you know, the guy behind Ambiguously Gay Duo – to pen a Green Lantern movie. I mean, brilliant idea, right? Smigel wasn’t convinced at first and tried to pitch an original superhero instead. But when they insisted on Green Lantern, he took a look at the premise and said, “You know what? This could totally work as a comedy.”
Jack Black’s Green Lantern: A Slacker’s Journey
Smigel reportedly came up with a plot where Jack Black would play Jud Plato, a slack-off with absolutely no future who miraculously ends up on Fear Factor. Imagine this: Jud munches on a dead animal head (because, why not?), and suddenly, the Green Lantern ring thinks he’s the hero we didn’t know we needed. Hilarious, right?
But hang on; things get weirder. Jud uses his powers to conjure ladies to fill his fridge and captures villains in a giant condom. Yes, you read that right! The climax? He fights an asteroid shaped like Pikachu while trying to stop natural disasters by reversing Earth’s rotation, a total nod to the classic Superman movie. It’s like someone took a fever dream and made it into a script!
More Comedy than Canon
Now, if you’re thinking this sounds an awful lot like your typical Jack Black shenanigans, that’s because it totally is. However, it’s worth mentioning that Smigel actually respected the original lore more than you might expect. He drew a few ideas from Emerald Dawn, which gave Hal Jordan a gritty reboot back in the day. The kicker? Instead of the brave Hal Jordan, we get Jud, who could barely manage his pizza rolls, let alone save the universe! Talk about a twist!
In this alternate story, when the ring malfunctions and picks Jud over Jordan, chaos ensues. He doesn’t exactly embrace heroism but ends up facing the manic Legion and a strict Sinestro along the way. Eventually, Jud earns back the right to wield the ring and discovers some deep, dark Sinestro secrets. A hero’s journey, if you squint hard enough!
The What-If That Never Was
So, there you have it—what could have been a rollicking good time with Jack Black at the helm of a superhero foray instead sank into obscurity. It’s a wild ride, but not quite the one you’d want to take your kids on. While Smigel’s vision had charm and humor, sometimes sticking too close to the source material doesn’t translate to a successful film. Thank goodness Lanterns took a different path and is finally giving us the Green Lantern fix we need!
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Catch new episodes of Lanterns every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max!