How I would have made Lanterns
So I read the spoilers for Lanterns, and I'm going to say this was a letdown. Honestly, this is not what I wanted in a Green Lantern show. I know I only watched three episodes, but after how they changed John’s origin, I didn’t like it. I really didn't like how all the theories and build-ups turned out to be lies. Also, the way they killed Hal off was bad, and no, don’t expect a Parallax; they just disrespected Hal Jordan in this show, and he dies, no one seems to care, and his murderer walks out free. Also, Tom King defended it, and that's not an excuse. They really messed up John Stewart's origin; I don’t like the change from the comics.
Vanessa Baden-Kelly basically butchered Hal Jordan, and she says Tom King said John didn't have an origin story, but he does. Honestly, I don't understand why Gunn would hire writers like her who clearly push an agenda instead of respecting the source material.
Tom King clearly hates heroes, and he denies he hates Hal Jordan, but he really does. Tom King is one of DC's most frustrating writers right now.
The Showrunners and the writers they had for this show didn't know what they were doing, and they said things that clearly pissed off a lot of fans. There was no Planet OA, no other Guardians, no space battles, and no Yellow Lanterns or Red Lanterns. None of that, and hey, next season will be more grounded too. Also, remember the showrunner made the Watchmen show, and we know he hates heroes.
This show failed so many fans, and look, even though Aaron Pierre is set to play Green Lantern again in Man of Tomorrow, and maybe they will give him his comic-accurate suit, you still don't get that in the show either. So here is how I would make Lanterns if I were the showrunner. Also, I'd call it either the Green Lantern Corps or the Green Lantern Emerald Knights which the CW was going to call their Green Lantern show. Also after seeing the concept art I'm like wow that is what Lanterns should have been.
10. Here is who I would cast for the show.
9. I would hire writers who read the comics and I would get a Green Lantern expert like Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison.
One thing I notice from the show is that they hired writers who never read the comics and didn't do any research on the characters or the lore. We saw that with Vanessa asking Tom King, who didn't do his job right. I would hire writers who know the characters, or at least study and research the characters and the lore. Also, I would have someone like Geoff Johns or Grant Morrison serve as the comic book writer influencer. Not Tom King.
8. Hal has been a Green Lantern for about ten years, Guy has been one for five years, and John is the new recruit.
I would still keep that Hal has been a Green Lantern for a long time, and he's one of the first new heroes, even before Superman, but he has worked alongside Batman. Guy joined the Green Lanterns five years after Hal, and in the show, John is the recruit. John looks up to Hal, and Hal becomes his mentor, while Kilowog plays a big role in helping John become a great Green Lantern. Also, Guy and John don't get along, unlike in the show, where Guy leaves because he stands up to Superman, but not John? So John and Guy do fight, but in the end they grow to respect each other and work together.
Season two would have Kyle Rayner join, and this time John trains him, and Kyle would become one of the most powerful Lanterns in the DCU. In season 2, he also offers a Blue Lantern ring, and by the end he masters both the power of will and hope. For Kyle if I were to cast I would cast either Blake Michael, Hudson Williams, Zack Calderon, or Jamie Flatters.
Season 3 would introduce Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, as they play a part in the Blackest Night arc as they are chosen by Hal and John's Lanterns. For Simon and Jessica. For Simon I would cast either Mena Massound, Aramis Knight, or Amir Bageria. For Jessica I would cast Jenna Ortega, Rachel Zegler, or Luna Blaise.
7. The series would be a space opera/cop show.
If I were to make the Green Lantern show, I'd set it more in space, but I understand budgets and stuff; still, I'd make it a sci-fi space opera show. We see different planets and how their societies work. We explore the cosmic side of the DCU, which is sad because Gunn would have done this, but no, he didn't. Green Lantern doesn't work as grounded as Batman and Green Arrow, but not Green Lantern.
I would have Planet OA appear, and we would meet the Guardians of OA, and I would write that they are wise, but they have done shady and questionable things. We would learn more Green Lantern lore from them, including their mistakes with the Manhunters and how Lanterns were created. Kilowog, Katma, Tomar Tu, and many other Lanterns do play a big role in the show. Kilowog would be a huge character in the show, as he also helps John train, and he and Katma develop a romance. John even helps Katma, who feels guilt for her friend Laria, a former Green Lantern who joined the Red Lanterns after she turned her in. Still, John tells her that, as a Marine, he was given orders and disobeyed them to save a group of innocent people. Still, despite being discharged, he never lost sight of who he was, and in truth, John never liked killing; even as a Marine, he never took pride in taking a life, and he tells her maybe there is a chance to save her. This inspires Katma to try to save Laria from the Power of Rage, and in the end she is no longer a Red Lantern, but she serves time in prison; next season, Laria would atone for her crimes as a Green Lantern.
Personally, for the first season, I would go with the Red Lanterns and the Manhunters because the Manhunters created the Red Lantern Corps, and they're why John became a Green Lantern. We would see why Atrocitus hates the Green Lanterns and wants to wipe them out, and the Manhunters. We would get a side story where Katma has to fight one of her old best friends, Laira Omoto, who was once a Green Lantern until she broke her oath and killed a criminal; she then joined the Red Lanterns, feeling betrayed by Katma for bringing her in. Other Red Lanterns, such as Bleez, Dex-Staar, Haggor, Skallox, and Fury-6, would also appear.
The Guardians of OA created the Manhunters until they went rogue and now take over planets and rule them. They are also responsible for the Red Lanterns, and one of them is what made John a Green Lantern, though he didn't know it. The Guardians sent a Manhunter to Earth to make him a Lantern. John doesn't learn this secret until season 3, when the Guardians stand by what they did. The Manhunters now set their sights on Oa, as they want to conquer the planet that created them and hate the Guardians more than anyone in the universe.
During the epic showdown between John and Atrocitus, John almost gives in to rage but remembers his oath, like the Justice League animated series' epic. John defeats Atrocitus and he locked away but the Red Lanterns are still around and Atrocitus would return for season two as he would fight along side Sinestro. Hal and the Rest of the Green Lanterns would defeat the Manhunters and destroy them before they can fully take over OA. Hal would get his big heroic moment with taking down the Manhunters.
Sinestro would still appear. I liked how he was in prison, but I would end the first season with him breaking out, getting his yellow lantern ring, and deciding to reform the Yellow Lanterns, setting up the Sinestro Corps War for season two.
Sinestro would also be like the Magneto of the DCU because he believes that fear is what will truly order the Galaxy. His daughter, Soranik Natu, would also play a big role in season two and be a love interest for Kyle Rayner.
4. The series would show other Lanterns too.
I would explore other Lantern Corps and what their oath represents. Green is Will, Yellow is Fear, Red is Rage, Blue is Hope, Orange is Greed, Indigo is Compassion, Pink is Love, and Black is Death. In the first season, we only have the Green Lanterns and Red Lanterns; in the second season, we meet the Yellow Lanterns, Blue Lanterns, Star Sapphires, Indigo Lanterns, and the Orange Lantern. They would all unite in season 3 against the Blackest Night, the Black Lanterns. We would see the HYPER Lantern in season 2 and the White Lanterns in season 3.
3. The series would still focus on John as our main character but he would have a more faithful origin.
John Stewart would still be the main character, and his origin is this: he is a recruit. He would have a more comic-accurate origin: he fought a manhunter alone without a ring, and the Guardians had their eyes on him from a young age. As well, he lost his younger sister to a school shooter, and he became a Marine and was discharged for going against his superior officer's orders, as he wouldn't let innocent people die for his mission. This is the John Stewart we should have gotten in the Lanterns show. So we wouldn't get that his parents shot apples off his head or any of that other stuff. John faces many trials, and at one point he doesn't feel worthy, but Hal, Katman, and Kilowog motivate him to return as Green Lantern. By the end of the show, John defeats the Red Lanterns and the Manhunters, and he becomes Earth's new Green Lantern, while Hal decides to remove his ring and spend time with Carol and their son, Martin. Guy stays in space but comes to Earth once in a while to help John out. Also, John would have a romance with Kat, not an old lady.
Now, I didn't like how they wrote Hal Jordan, and the writers basically disrespected him, no matter how many times Gunn defends it. This show did Hal Jordan dirty, especially when we learn that Sheriff Kerry murders Hal and walks free in the end. Also, the funeral was sad, and only three people showed up. Honestly, Sheriff Kerry is the most hated character in the DCU, and sadly, she doesn't answer for her crimes because her grandson is a manhunter; it’s just bad writing. Also, Vanessa said she didn’t want to give Hal any heroic moments in this show, which annoys me. What was Gunn thinking hiring these people? Hal was even one of the first superheroes of the DCU, and this is how they respect him. I feel like this show did Hal Jordan dirty, and even if you think they will do the Parallax storyline, it's not happening. If I were to write Hal Jordan, he would be a mentor to John; he's been a Green Lantern for a long time, and John respects him a lot. Hal even motivates John not to give up or give in to fear or rage. Hal mentions he once did and almost lost everything until he was reborn, basically referencing Green Lantern: Rebirth. I wouldn't disrespect Hal Jordan; he is an important character in the Green Lantern series and the DCU. Hal would be the Gandalf of the Green Lantern Corps, and he even supports him as his successor because he wants to be with Carol and their son, Martin Jordan.
They should have adapted the works of Geoff Johns and Grant Morrison because they get Green Lantern and they respect the lore and characters. Even Grant said that's not his Hal Jordan. I would try to make the show more faithful to the comics and not downgrade Hal and John as they did. In fact, it was revealed that the writers and showrunner chose to be grounded, even though they had enough money to make space. This is what the Green Lantern adaptation should have been, and honestly, this is why my faith in the DCU is going down the drain, unless Man of Tomorrow does something to redeem John Stewart, because I don’t like how they wrote him in this show. Truth is, this show was made by people who hate heroes, because at least Superman felt inspiring; this doesn’t.
So that’s how I would have made the Lanterns Show. Unlike the people who made this show, I would respect the characters and lore and give people a proper Green Lantern adaptation.
No comments:
Post a Comment