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Warner Brothers Wants Ryan Gosling for Green Lantern?!

by Alex Billington
October 8, 2008
Source: Latino Review

This Green Lantern movie seems to be gaining quite a bit of momentum recently! In addition to confirming previously that it would start production early next year, we ran an in-depth article looking at 5 Badass Reasons Why Fans Will Love The Green Lantern Movie. Now word comes to us today from our good friends at Latino Review that Warner Brothers is looking at Ryan Gosling for the pivotal role as Hal Jordan. This isn't officially confirmed casting, but they assure us that this comes from a trusted source. The Oscar nominated Ryan Gosling playing a test pilot who becomes a Green Lantern? Good idea or not?

I hope no one needs a reminder in regards to who the character of Hal Jordan is, but let's go over some basic details. In the script, he is a 27 year old test pilot who is chosen to wear a power ring and become a Green Lantern in order to defend our universe from bad guys like Legion and Sinestro. He was given the ring when Abin-Sur crashes on Earth and finds someone who is "utterly honest and born without fear" to take his place. Everything revolves around willpower for this character, meaning he's got to have the mind to continue to fight even when he's down or believe in what he believes no matter what's happening.

That intro was just a way of making sure we've got the right guy for such a poignant character. Ryan Gosling, interestingly, seems like a good enough actor to take on the role, but he definitely wasn't the top choice in=n my mind. I like his indie projects, like Lars and the Real Girl and Half Nelson, but I'm not exactly keen on his bigger budget roles. Again, his involvement isn't confirmed, he's just the guy that Warner Brothers really wants for Hal Jordan. If he does get cast, I'll admit that I'm a bit worried that he won't be able to lead a big-budget superhero movie like this. But I've been wrong before... Thoughts?

Explore tags: Casting, Movie News, Rumors

Frost

Honestly, I had Aaron Eckhart in mind but Ryan Gosling is a total surprise! Hope this next DC project becomes just as big and successful as the Batman reboot!
Twanzel

Aaron Eckhart HAS to play Captain America. How about Ryan Reynolds for Hal Jordan?
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

While I'm not opposed to those two choices... wouldn't it be a little weird seeing Eckhart play both Two-Face AND Captain America? Only one superhero in a lifetime!
Darunia

I guess it's a good choice. It's kinda easy to pick Green Lantern though, so as long as it's a good actor, it's fine. Gosling is a good actor.
http://www.youtube.com/AllmightyKeim AllmightyKeim

Ryan Gosling would be a great choice. Great actor, great guy. He seems he could bring somthing to the film like Robert and Christian did. It would be a smart move to get a real actor in there and not someone who can read lines. Someone who can read into the lines and show us his fear and joy and all that good stuf to bring Green Lantern to life. I would be happy with that. Ryan Reynolds is in the new Wolverine movie, and Eckhart is TwoFace, so dont need him to be another super hero in another movie. I would have liked to say I had someone in mind for GL, but I would be lying. Never got into him in the comics. Cool guy just do not know the history of him.
Mostskillz

Bad idea...
jim

i'm suprised. for some reason i thought i would see some ryan gosling bashing but im pleasantly suprised. i think gosling is a great actor and would be a great fit for the role. after seeing what he did in Fracture i have a lot of faith in the talent he could bring to Green Lantern
JL

I like this choice. Ryan Gosling is an excellent actor. They made the right choice casting Bale as Batman. He isn't an action star at all. Of course he's done action films like Equilibrium and Reign of Fire, but his reputation is for more in depth characters in lesser known things. Like The Machinist. And I'm sure you've all at least heard of American Psycho. That's why he was able to give a great performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I think the same goes for Gosling. He doesn't do action movies. At least none that I know of. But one thing is certain: he has the acting chops to make the character relatable and real.
moviekidmike

I can see him in that role. He has the right look.
Big R

Im actually a bit surprised that there isn't any bashing on here about him. I didn't have him in mind but he is an excellent actor. I loved him in Fracture. I think he can pull it off. I really had doubts when i heard Downey for Iron Man and look what happened. I love all this news coming out for this movie. This has the potential to be effin amazing!!! Oh, Aaron should just play 2face, it would be a bit weird seeing him as Capt. A.
Darren

perfect
Lincoln

Ryan Gosling is the perfect choice for this role, and it follows the great precedent of putting really character actors in parts that would otherwise be done by 2-dimensional meat heads like Vin Diesel. No one would have ever considered Hugh Jackman for Wolverine unless someone made that leap of faith and casted him. He was a rom-com lightweight. Ryan Reynolds is a great actor, but I think his brand of humor is more suited to the Marvel Universe, which he was perfectly fitted for in "Blade III", and I'm sure will be equally good as DeadPool in "Wolverine". Ryan Gosling has physicality and commitment to the characters he plays, plus mainstream American good looks and charisma. Beyond "Lars and the Real Girl" and "Half Nelson", he was great and youthful and powerfully emotional in "The Notebook". I think he's the perfect choice.
PimpSlapStick

Ryan Gosling? Hmmm...I kinda like that idea, he has that same intensity and level of commitment that Christian Bale has. Plus even though he's a "name" actor he's not exactly Big Leagues ala Will Smith or Tom Cruise so that is a plus in my book he want eat up the movie or over shadow the GL concept hopefully enhance it. This is a good pick if it happens, you can't do any worse than a extremely talented guy like Gosling.
Daas

Latino Review does it again!!!
Twanzel

Alex, good call on Reynolds. I totally forgot about him playing Deadpool, which i'm really excited to see. But i do think Gosling will do fine as Green Lantern. He may need to hit the weight room tho. Still would love to see Eckhart play Cap tho, despite his role as two-face, which was amazing
andrew

i c him as the next batman post-c.b. ne one else agrees?
PimpSlapStick

Twanzel, I don't think Gosling really needs to be super buff, just fit. Plus GL isn't really a 'strongman' type of hero as stated and from the comics GL is all about willpower and the ring is an mental compacity/energy based weapon, you could be 60lbs over weight and past retirement age and still be the greatest Green lantern ever if your willpower is strong enough. Hal Jordan is a military man so of course he's gonna be in shape, but I'd be fine with a none-buff GL that's not what he's about.
PimpSlapStick

andrew I completely disagree, Gosling just doesn't have the 'look' for Batman. Sure he could pull it off, but I'd say Gosling would make a better Green Arrow or GL
Frost

But Aaron Eckhart wasn't a superhero, he was a villain! But yeah, it would be weird seeing the same actor playing two different characters in what will essentially be one universe (DCU, anyone?) Dang, I can't believe I just figured that out. D'oh!!!
darrin

he was good in fracture. not a bad choice.
http://youtube.com/snears Nick Sears

I think he would be perfect for it. He'd be convincing in the dramatic parts yet convey a solid 'humanistic' portrayal for a superhero role. Go Gosling. That and I think rachel mcadams is super hot.
Perotoss

I think Daniel Craig has the face, but he's a bit old to pass as a 27 year old.
T Robert T

Have any of you ever read a green lantern comic? Hal Jordan's most important character trait is his unshakable self confidence, and I'm sorry but none of Gosling's work I've seen makes me think he can pull that off. Hal is the self-assured, insubordinate, anti-authority, womanizer with enough charm to get away with all of it, and to me none of those things really fit with Ryan Gosling. We're talking about a guy who's sucker punched batman because he didn't have time to explain everything to him; Hal exudes an ultra-masculine confidence that I don't get from Gosling. I'm not saying he can't pull this off, in fact I'd be very interested to see how he would play Hal, but I'm hoping that this scoop turns out to be wrong. Not that I can think of anybody more appropriate...
MrSammich

Sam Worthington would be a fine pick, sure he is an Aussie, but he can probably fake the American accent, most non-American actors can anyway. But he has the right look and size, plus he is already involved in two major action movies with the soon to be released Terminator Salvation and James Cameron's Avatar. Plus, I really can't see Gosling in the green tights, or myself rooting for him, his portrails of charaters have always been a little flat in my opinion.
viral

i love ryan gosling in anything he does... and someone brought up excellent points about casting good actors and not just the macho type-casts... look at robert downey Jr and christian bale... there truly cannot be a better choice for their respective super hero franchise... Gosling will be perfect for the character... the GL always had a boyish quality about him... stronger mentally than physically... Gosling is a perfect match...i am sure he would bring his acting prowess to the role... i mean a guy who can go from a drug addict high school teacher to a blow-up doll loving loner can do any role thrown at him... and he was actually better than Sir Anthony Hopkins in Fracture... i want to see ryan do a dark and twisted role... like a real psychopath or serial killer... just a thought...
big r

Im sure he will step it up for the role. Since the success of comic book adaptions as of late, he will realize how important it is to step up to this role. He knows the fans will eat him up if he does a shitty job. The more i think about it, the more i realize that he is actually a great choice for this role. Like someone else said, i think he should hit the gym just a bit.
http://www.theaterhopper.com Tom Brazelton

Gosling won't do it. The movie isn't depressing enough.
Peloquin

Ryan Reynolds is playing Deadpool in the new Wolverine movie so he wouldn't work for this...
Noodles777

BAD IDEA!!! Joshua Jackson of 'Fringe' and 'Dawson's Creek' is the PERFECT CHOICE. He can be both gritty and humorous, then add some muscle ... and believable.
http://www.theaterhopper.com Tom Brazelton

Kind of surprised that no one has mentioned Nathan Fallon for the role. But, then again, if DC is looking to build a long-term franchise, he may be a little old.
http://www.myspace.com/kevjohnphotography kevjohn

F*** Ryan Gosling! No way I'm going to support the man who stole my girl Scarlett from me.
THERBLIG

Ok man everyone here is posting weird today, Eckhart as GL? NO WAAAY! Dude is way to old for the green lantern, can you see him trying to pull off that he is in his 20s'. And Ryan he doesnt even have the chin for the Green lantern, look at the broad chin he has in the images. Not that pointy joker chin that Ryan has. #24 Sam worthington would be a good choice, Lets see, i want everyone to name there next pick for the the next 5 superhero movies dc or marvel it doesnt matter... Lets see what you guys think.
Alec Baldwin

who keeps bringing up Ryan Reynolds?!?! what a joke!! homo. And while Im here, SCREW YOU ALEX BILLINGTON!!
Andrew

@ KevJohn Wrong Ryan dude. Ryan Reynolds stole "your" Scarlett.
jasonmd2020

@ #25 "i want to see ryan do a dark and twisted role… like a real psychopath or serial killer… just a thought…" Go rent The Believer. You want twisted, Ryan plays a Jew so full of self-loathing, that he's part of a Neo-Nazi movement...Can't get much more twisted than that.
JL

Oh, man, I can't believe I forgot about that movie, jasonmd2020, you're so right. It was fantastic. Good show, chap. And seriously, if anyone on this board thought they had a chance with Scarlett, they are seriously fooling themselves.
Maxx

I still think Ryan Gosling should have been spiderman...I mean tobey Maguire has the nerd factor but he didnt quite capture how witty like a smartass and badass spiderman really is
Ajax

I dunno, I kinda had Nathan Fillon in mind, but I think Ryan could pull it off. We will wait and see.
http://www.youtube.com/AllmightyKeim AllmightyKeim

#38, Nice Captain Hammer as GL. Well then that would mean he would be two super heroes. So no go.
Matty

Joshua Jackson? Gross. You're an idiot. Gosling is solid.
http://www.modelmayhem.com/kevjohnphotography kevjohn

@ Andrew Oh shit! I put a hit out on the wrong dude!
PimpSlapStick

Nathan Fillion would be my top pick for Hal Jordan, but I don't know if he could draw in an audience unless their is a top director at the helm.
jasonmd2020

I'm gonna have to whip this out one more time: Nathan Fillon should not be GL, he should be Captain America!
T Robert T

Nathan Fillon is too old to be Hal but otherwise he's a very good fit. But Captain America? Please refrain from whipping that out again. My first pick, for either roll, would be David Boreanaz from Bones/Angel. He's not a great Cap but I can't think of anyone better, but he's a very good fit for Hal.
texranger37

Not Gosling, David Boreanaz, Matt Damon, or someone who really knows hoe to throw Hal's famous ouch that tipped Pieface off to his true identity. TEX
Jen

Ryan Gosling is a good actor. I'm not against this choice at all. Fillon and Boreanaz are both too old for the role. This is Hal in his BEGINNING. He's supposed to be young. I don't think he's been in the Air Force for that long yet? And God no, not Matt Damon.
king kong

ok now has anyone ever noticed that all the superheros are white? Is that a lilttle racisist or somthing? Why not use the black green lantern?
Cloverfield_Sarutobi

Denzel Washington if its Jon Stewart Ryan Gosling is good, but I dunno how well he would look as Hal Jordan. No king kong, nothing racist here. What about Blade? That is the first hit movie from a Marvel Comic character. It did pretty well, and is a trilogy. There are exceptions and problems when it comes to this, like actors not agreeing and stuff. Look at the Dragon Ball movie, it sucks like rhino piss. They have a random black dude who cracks silly jokes instead of Krillin (one of the important characters). (DB is gonna be some sucky sh*t). So there is yer problem. As far as Green Lantern goes, I don't think Denzel would agree to play a Superhero movie. Ryan Gosling has to cheer up a bit to look the part, but him trying to cheer up is gonna bring the real HAL JORDAN out. Cause Hal is moderate in mood. Ryan Gosling would be great for the role!
jasonmd2020

#47 aka King Kong said:"ok now has anyone ever noticed that all the superheros are white? Is that a lilttle racisist or somthing? Why not use the black green lantern?" They were gonna use Common as the black GL in the JLA film (Which thankfully folded.Common I thought was a fine choice, it's just everything else about that production had problems. ). As to why all the superheroes are white, it's because these characters have been around for 50+ years way before the civil rights movement & MLK. The problem is not that all these older heroes are white, but that there's no one making any moves in Hollywood with newer comic properties that are more diverse. Would I see a black/hispanic/asian superhero film? If the story was tight and the acting was quality then hell yes. But I can also see why people would get uptight if say Will Smith played Captain America, cuz that flies in the face of half a century of who that character was. How many black people would get bent out of shape if they remade Shaft with Vin Diesel? As why they're going with Jordan & not Stewart, it's simple. GL's not that well know as Bats or Spidey. So they have to do the origin story. If it takes off as a franchise then they can go with Stewart down the road. (Just as they're hinting to do with Rhodey in the Iron Man films.) That's my $0.02. Your milage may vary.
willie d

I think they should go with the Jon Stewart/GL story because that is the story that people no today. If they want to use the Hal Jordan have a little short story for him and then show like the passing of the ring to Stewart. For the black GL i think that Denzel can play any roll you give him but you have to think who many action films hes been in not many. Now if you think about it good Michael Jai White wounld be perfect. If you dont remember him he was the guy who played Spawn and got screwed out of his payday. Now that all these super hero movies are going to start running together they need to keep the actors the same and what i mean about that is look all the batmans, hulk....
Carter Oliver Mackenzie

If Ryan Reynolds was to play a superhero from DC comics, he she play The Flash. He has that voice, attitude, and build for it. If not him for the Flash, then Michael Rosenbaum, from Smallville. He played the voice of The Flash on the Justice League animated series. Give him back his hair and build him up some and you get The Flash. Now about the big GL. Ryan Gosling does look the part. About the character itself, I'm not so sure because I'm not sure what kind of guy Hal Jordan was. But I'm sure Ryan Gosling could pull off the part if given enough time to prep for it. I mean, look how great Heath Ledger did with The Joker. That is why The Dark Knight turned out so well, it was given enough time to be perfected. And that's exactly what they are doing with the next Batman movie.
Joe León

Can I play Sinestro? http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1445679394&ref=name
Patricia Wylie

I had heard at a comic shop today that they were also considering Jensen Ackles. Has anyone heard this? He is an incredible actor and definitely had the athletic ability to carry it off.
David

nahh I've always thought Eric Dane would be a good green lantern