Green Lantern – An update on the suit

A few days ago it was mentioned that Ryan Reynold’s suit as Green Lantern was going to be CGI.

Now Comic Book Movies apparantly got onto the set and spoke to some of the people involved with the film and asked them about the suit.

“It’s gonna look just like the comic stories.” said their source. “I saw a handful of storyboards and mock ups already and it looks like what’s in the comics by kids read. Black and green and white.”

“I didn’t see the whole suit. It was from a scene where [Ryan] changes into it. It was, like, lava melting on him. Well, like liquid. Like if someone threw a can of paint on him and it splashed around and covered him up. And it’s not solid colors really. More like the colors shift around subtly.”

If that is true then it sounds as if it will be CGI. However, as the source only saw storyboards and mockups then not sure how he knew just how the suit would look going on. Maybe just me being cynical. Just really excited that they are making a Green Lantern film.

The above image is fan made from here.

Green Lantern – The suit to be CGI

There has been a lack of images of Ryan Reynolds in costume as Green Lantern. I was thinking that was because studio security was doing well, but now it looks that the reason is that the suit doesn’t actually exist.

Reynolds has been wearing a motion capture suit for his scenes as GL. /Film had the news:

My source within Warner Bros assures me that the suit will look cool. Don’t let the words “Computer generated” scare you.

I must first remind you that Ngila Dickson, the costumer designer on the film has won an Academy Award for a little film called The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Maybe you’ve seen it before? Don’t let her Xena: Warrior Princess roots scare you, she worked on the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Last Samurai (another film which earned her an Oscar nomination), The Illusionist, Blood Diamond and The International. She has an impressive IMDB page, for sure.

Ngila was tasked with trying to find a way to do something that stands apart from all of the other superheroes spandex suit designs we’ve seen in the past. Honestly, isn’t the look becoming overused?

Remember, the Green Lantern suit is something that should look alien — it needs to seem other worldly. It encompasses any creature that wears the ring, and Hal Jordan is the first human to ever wear the suit. This was a chance for Dickson to do something different. You also have to consider that Hal changes into the suit multiple times in mid scene, and the cg also allows him to do this.

I’ve heard that when the cg is complete, the suit will look like a manifestation of his power. And while I couldn’t confirm this, I’ve heard that DC’s Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns has seen the designs and given them his blessing.

The suit is lined with white LEDs, which I initially thought might be used to give a practical glow (kind of like how Billy Crudup wore blue LEDs to give the actors around Dr. Manhattan a blue glow in Watchmen), but I’ve since been told might just be for mo-cap tracking purposes.

To be honest I quite like this idea. The costume in the comic has been changed many times and most recently has a kind of aura thing going on with the GL symbol floating just in front of Hal’s chest. Therefore, a CGI version is the best way of doing this and should give it a really different kind of look compared to other comic book movies.

How do you feel about the suit being CGI?

Green Lantern – Is this Abin Sur’s spaceship?

Abin Sur is the Green Lantern who crashed on Earth and, before dying, he passed his Power Ring to Hal Jordan – Why did he need a spaceship if his powerr ring means he can fly through space? That was recently answered in the comic book, so go buy back issues and find out.

Back to the pic. Comic Book Movies were sent it and it does look like a great big shiny metal spaceship. It is either that or a plane that Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is test piloting.

R.I.P.D. – Ryan Reynolds to play dead cop

Welcome to the Rest In Peace Department — the devoted, yet dead, officers of divine law enforcement “patrolling the deadbeat…reporting to one boss.” Yep — THAT boss. Nick Cruz was murdered by an unknown assailent, at the height of his personal and professional life. Now he’s traded a hundred years of service to the R.I.P.D. in exchange for a shot at finding who killed him. Unfortunately his search will take him to Hell and back — literally!

R.I.P.D. is a Dark Horse comic written by Peter Lenkov and drawn by Lucan Marangon.

Collider spoke with producer Neil Moritz who mentioned that Ryan Reynolds is down to play Nick Cruz which will be his third comic book character after Green Lantern and Deadpool (I wonder what this means to the Deadpool film?).

Moritz said “It’s terrific based on the graphic novel. It’s about two cops, one recently dead and a gunslinger who’s been dead for hundreds of years who work on the Rest in Peace department – which is the police department of the dead. And they basically…it takes place on a normal day and it’s about trying to keep the dead quiet.”

It is a great sounding concept but reminds me of a TV show from a few years ago where dead cops had to police the spirit world. Had a guy with a big afro..what was it called?

Lots of potential in this film although it is going to be rated PG-13 which means not as much nasty stuff as you would think. Who could play the gunslinger? Lance Henriksen maybe.

R.I.P.D. Graphic Novel at Amazon.com

Green Lantern – Angela Bassett to play Amanda Waller

Some interesting news from the Green Lantern film and possible hint that a Suicide Squad film may soon be in the offing. Angela Bassett (Strange Days, What’s Love Got to do With It) is joining the cast of the Martin Campbell directed comic book movie. Heat Vision had the news.

Bassett is playing Dr. Amanda Waller, a government agent who headed up the Suicide Squad, a government-run group of captured supervillains performing tasks in exchange for eventual freedom. She also was high up in the Checkmate organisation (the very first comic book Green Lantern also cropped up in that series). Still no word on whether the Squad will appear in the film, but could lead to some nice little Easter Eggs for comic book fans.

Back in February 2009 was the news that Justin Marks (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Greyskull, Green Arrow: Supermax) was adapting the DC Comics property Suicide Squad as a feature film for Warner Bros. Then the Squad’s creator, John Ostrander, spoke about a Suicide Squad film last March.

Of course in the comics Waller was a rather large lady and was nicknamed The Wall. I doubt they’ll be putting Bassett in a fat suit though.

Pam Grier had been playing Waller in Smallville and had voiced her in the Justice League cartoons so it is a bit of a shame she didn’t get the role in the Green Lantern film.

Green Lantern began filming in New Orleans (check out the first pic of Ryan Reynolds on set) with a cast that includes Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Tim Robbins.

Call me Ishmael

Green Lantern – Is John Stewart in the film?

A person by the name of Nick Jones has been tweeting that he has a small role in the Green Lantern film. He is a former marine who is now an actor.

He has mentioned that he has been filming a “bar scene” with Ryan Reynolds (who is playing Hal).

There is a scene in the Geoff Jones written Green Lantern Secret Origins story that shows Hal and some Air Force pals getting in a fight with some Marines. One of the Marines is John Stewart who later becomes a Green Lantern – he was also the Green Lantern used in the Justice League cartoons.

The pic above was posted by Nick on his Twitter account, but it has since been taken down. It is possible that he could be Stewart and they’re setting it up for later films.

What do you think?

Green Lantern – First look at Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan and maybe the power ring

As previously mentioned, the Green Lantern movie started shooting in New Orleans recently.

CBM got sent some photos from the shoot that show Ryan Reynolds possibly wearing the Power Ring. It’s hard to tell when the photo is blown up and I’m not sure when the scenes they are shooting take place in the story, but this could well be the first glimpse of GL’s Power Ring.

The Random – Wolverine 2, Marco Polo, Green Lantern, The Shadow, The Smurfs, De Niro in Dark Fields, Jackman in Selma, Rachel McAdams gets a Woody, Splice

– Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie (X-Men, The Usual Suspects) has finished his draft of the Wolverine sequel, which he began writing in August. Shooting is currently expected to commence in January of 2011. It is going to be set in Japan and no word yet on who will direct although Hugh Jackman will be back as Logan. I just hope the claws are better than the first film.

– Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend,” “Constantine) will direct a feature about Marco Polo for Warner Bros. Pictures reports Variety – More fantasy/adventure epic than serious biopic drama, the film will be most set in “the Orient of our imagination”

– Test shooting on the Green Lantern has started shooting in New Orleans. Apparantly it involves a stunt car.

– David Slade (30 Days of Night) could direct the Sam Raimi produced film adaptation of classic pulp character The Shadow at 20th Century Fox reports Latino Review.

– Dr Horrible himself, Neil Patrick Harris, is to be the live action star in The Smurfs movie. I feel slightly more interested in the project…but only a little.

– Robert De Niro joins Bradley Cooper in The Dark Fields. The film is about ‘a down-and-out Gotham writer (Cooper) who comes into possession of a designer drug that gives him newfound intelligence and success‘. According to Variety, De Niro will be playing the role of the brilliant financial mogul that’s chasing after Bradley Cooper’s character. The film will begin shooting in May in Philadelphia.

– Hugh Jackman will be starring in Selma to be directed by Lee Daniels (Precious). Deadline previously reported that Robert De Niro was on board to play Alabama Governor George Wallace in the film, which is about the historic march from Selma to the state capital in Montgomery.

– Rachel McAdams has signed on to co-star in Woody Allen’s next project. Production of the still untitled film is to begin this summer, likely with a 2011 release date in mind. Owen Wilson and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are also starring in it.

– Vincenzo Natali’s Sci-fi creature feature, Splice, is to be released on 4th June. Looks like the studio are pushing this to be a big Summer film.

The Flash gets a director

Another day, another DC Comic book film moves ahead. We have the possibility of Goyer and Nolan working on a Superman film and now IESB has the news that Greg Berlanti is the favourite to direct the fastest man alive, The Flash.

Berlanti wrote a draft for the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern movieand was going to direct it before Warner Bros went with Martin Campbell.

No word on a script or star so still early days, but this is further along than a Flash film has been in the past. At one point Ryan Reynolds was rumoured to play him, but as he will he Green Lantern I doubt that will happen (it being the same universe). That gives us the splendid oppotunity to put our comic geek heads on (my fave after films) and wonder who would make a good Flash – not sure whether it will be Barry Allen or Wally West. I’m guessing the former. Neil Patrick Harris could be good. Bradley Cooper missed out on Green Lantern so he could be up for it.

Who should play Flash? Suggest some names in the comments and I’ll put a poll together.

The Random – Soderbergh’s Contagion, Things Fall Apart, Red Riding Hood, Scream 4, Green Lantern, Hit Somebody

Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow are all already attached to star and now Laurence Fishburne is in talks to join Steven Soderbergh’s viral outbreak film, Contagion, according to The Playlist.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is set to star in and produce Things Fall Apart for Cheetah Vision Films says Dark Horizons. The story follows a football running back in his final year of college who suffers a personal tragedy that makes him question his own mortality.

Amanda Seyfried (Chloe, Mamma Mia, Dear John) is the favourite to play the titular character in Catherine Hardwicke’s contempory gothic Girl With the Red Riding Hood says The Los Angeles Times. The studio hopes it will be a success along the lines of Twilight.

Wes Craven has finished My Soul To Take and has confirmed he will be directing Scream 4.

Comic book writer Geoff Johns confirmed Mark Strong is Sinestro in the Green Lantern film over on Twitter – “Back from an amazing trip to Green Lantern town a.k.a. New Orleans!! Ryan IS Hal. And Mark Strong is going to be a brilliant Sinestro. “

Seann William Scott (American Pie, Cop Out, Southland Tales) is tipped to play the lead role in Kevin Smith’s new comedy Hit Somebody reports NHL.com. He would play Buddy, a rough hockey enforcer prone to fighting who tries to improve his playing skills so that he can score just one goal. Smith seems to really rate him in the interview.