James Gunn Jokingly Asked Ryan Reynolds to Return as Green Lantern in the New DCU

James Gunn recently shared a humorous moment from his early days as the co-head of DC Studios. In an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn revealed that he jokingly asked Ryan Reynolds to reprise his role as Green Lantern for the revamped DC Universe (DCU).

"Ryan doesn’t give a sht [Laughs]. One of the first people I talked to after getting the job was Ryan Reynolds. I’m like, ‘You coming back?’ He’s like, ‘Get the f** out of here.’ I’m joking! I wasn’t really telling him to come back,” Gunn explained.

Reynolds originally played Hal Jordan, also known as Green Lantern, in the 2011 film directed by Martin Campbell. Despite its ambition to kickstart the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), the movie was a critical and commercial failure, leading to the cancellation of planned sequels. Instead, Warner Bros. pivoted to Man of Steel as the first official DCEU film. Reynolds, however, rebounded in 2016 with his portrayal of Deadpool, a Marvel character that became a massive success and is now part of the MCU.

Green Lantern fans can still look forward to the hero’s return in the upcoming DCU series Lanterns. The show, described as a "True Detective-style" story, will follow Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan as he mentors John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre. The duo investigates a murder on Earth with far-reaching implications for the universe.

While Lanterns does not yet have a release date, the DCU’s first official TV series, Creature Commandos, is already streaming on Max. Fans eager for more updates can keep an eye on the growing list of upcoming DC projects.