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The Green Lantern Costume Will Be Entirely CG in the Movie

by Alex Billington
April 12, 2010
Source: SlashFilm

This is probably the most interesting and soon-to-be the most controversial news you'll hear all month (I'm sure someone will be angered by this). SlashFilm is reporting that they've confirmed with multiple sources that a rumor about the Green Lantern costume being entirely CGI in the movie is true. Apparently Ryan Reynolds has been wearing a grey motion capture suit with white LEDs, very similar to how Dr. Manhattan looked on set during Watchmen. Before everyone goes crazy and boycotts the entire movie, apparently the reason for doing this (without actually seeing any finished photos to prove it) is actually pretty damn good.

The story is that costume designer Ngila Dickson (The Last Samurai, Lord of the Rings, Blood Diamond) was challenged with finding a way to create a costume that "stands apart from all of the other superheroes spandex suit designs we’ve seen in the past." And considering that the Green Lantern outfit comes from the alien ring (given to him by Abin Sur), it needs to look "other worldly." It was Ngila's chance to do something different and also allow Hal Jordan to "change into the suit multiple times in mid-scene" which just sounds pretty damn cool if they'll be able to pull that off smoothly with CGI. So far, so good, no reason to complain.

So if we won't see Reynolds wearing spandex on set, the next big question is how will the design look in its finished form on the big screen. Peter from SlashFilm is a bit vague on that, too: "I've heard that when the CG is complete, the suit will look like a manifestation of his power." Will it glow or will it look differently in different situations (again, similar to how Dr. Manhattan controlled his brightness)? We don't know the answers to these questions yet, but the good news is that apparently DC's Geoff Johns (the same guy) has seen the designs and given them his blessings. Doesn't seem like there is anything to be concerned about.

Green Lantern has been filming down in Louisiana for the past few weeks and I've heard nothing but great things so far. I'm not concerned about a CGI costume, in fact, I'm intrigued to see what it will look like. I think this will open up many possibilities for costuming that would've been impossible to pull off practically, since this is a super-powered ring that can manifest anything after all. What do you guys make of this?

Explore tags: Discussion, Hype, Movie News

Blackstar

CGI only? Well sure! I mean come on, Avatar proved you can have a successful film without actors. Hell Avatar did it without any writing too. Now if only we could do it without directors... /sarcasm
Voice of Reason

Lame
Darunia

If geoff johns says its cool, its cool. And at the end of the day, i don't see a reason to demand such a thing like seeing Ryan Reynolds in real life spandex.
iPhone Mafia Wars: 9003390587

Here we go... Why do fanboys say everything is lame, yet these movies still make millions of dollars? Maybe we should stop listening to fanboys and go see the movie for ourselves.
Logan

Promising. This really is a good idea.
sophia

i'm still waiting for the day when movies are made with no actors at all. but still, CGI suit? why not! as long as it's his face...
rooney

The only Question I have is how will the CGI look. If it looks anything like avatar then I won't worry but if it looks like x-men origins: Wolverine CGI then we might have a problem. Other than that I'm all for it and I hope the movie turns out Great!
http://www.nicksears.com Nick Sears

I like the reasoning for it being in CG - next, lets SEE IT!
livingword

I totally agree with Rooney. As long as it is done right we will not have a problem, but I am seriously concerned because I have been watching studios seriously mess up CGI lately. I am not sure if it is for money or just hiring the wrong people, but all I have to say is>>>>> G.I. JOE!
ultim8

@#4, I'm a Fanboy, and I DON'T THINK EVERYTHING IS LAME! NOT EVEN A CGI COSTUME! I'm quite stoked actually! A decent CG engine will make EVERYTHING good! Anyone know WHO'S doing the FX work? WETA? ILM? ETC.
evilttodd

i can't see this being lame this is a tent pole flick and the reason for it is sound, the ring creates the outfit, and in an intergalactic setting it will look more fun that spandex, the tech is there and if used right it rocks, this will work out fine
harm

This makes a ton of sense, it's how they have to do it, if they want to make the movie right, just like the mask, the mask has to come from the ring too. Otherwise we'd all laugh it off of the screen!
Antoni05

cmon now, any actual man made costume of the green lantern would have been corny no matter what. this is a great idea
dex

Sounds like they are in for one hell of detailing works...nice strategy to keep fans guessing and interested on the project.
DiR3cT

Well if it's going to be entirely CG then it will have to be a good film because that will cost a shitload to do.
Dan the Fan

To the obvious laughter that is CG costumes... Underworld, regardless of how one may feel about it, looked good because instead of relying heavily on CGI to create their creatures, they fabricated elaborate costumes and played with cinematography. This will come off campy. Look it up.
Clover

Brilliant....the suit will "glow" from time to time and has to be able to manifest itselt as well as dissapear in a blink of an eye. Makes perfect sense and Dickson is the one who can to do this.
LArry

Ummm....Pretty Sure the Iron Man costume is also CGI...and that looks fantastic based on the movie's reception. Don't really understand what the fuss is about.
Kyle Mills

Considering that most of the cast, Kilowog, Tomar Re, etc. will also be CG when he is on Oa or fighting alongside them, it will probably blend in just fine with the rest of them.
evilttodd

the more i think about this the more i think it is going to be amazing, horray, i am really excited for this now
http://mynameisjay.com Jay

I'm going to wait for footage/stills from the movie before I draw any conclusions.
nate

#20, I offer to you a virtual high-five, and a simple head nod, to signify my agreement.
Syphous

7's 100% right, if the CGI is good then there is no reason to complain. But if it's cheap or half-assed, then the entire movie will be shit. Only time will tell.
Ian

If they can pull avatar off then they can clearly pull off a cgi suit.
jjboldt

#6 - I agree. At some point, there will be no actual actors in the movie. Maybe they do a little motion capture and that's it. When I heard George Lucas was using CGI stunt doubles for the prequels, I figured it's only a matter of time before we use CGI for walking, talking and pretty much breathing. I'm sure Lucas would do it if he could.
Jack Package

What is the problem with a cgi costume? It doesnt affect the actors or writing any way...its a damn costume!
http://www.spill.com Pete the Geek

I'm bummed out, but only because I hoped it would be a real effect augmented with CG. Full CG still looks fake to me, unless it's being done by WETA. And I'm hoping they don't make it look too "other-wordly" since the costume is designed with the host in mind - if it's a goo alien, it's a goo suit. If it's a human, it's a human suit. Why would it give a human an alien looking suit? I'll wait to see what it looks like, but WB doesn't exactly have a great track record with their superhero films, nearly on par with Fox superhero movies.
SlashBeast

The overuse of CG is killing modern films, it just doesn't have that tangible reality that practical effects does. I'm disappointed in this decision, but hopefully it's good CGI.
Jaf

As long as they lay off the lens flare I'm cool with something new. Doesn't get more rhetorical than that.
http://movieporch.com MoviePorch

I hope they make it look amazing.
Richard

who cares if its entirely cgi... its his costume lol, wasn't that a given?
http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/2408/blackbabyjesus.gif Crapola

It'd be cool if they could have no actors and let the computers generate a random film, with some variables that were input at the beginning and then completely random. If the suit was like the one done with the tech that WETA used for the Halo short, then it won't matter too much as that just looked pretty much real, even though it was motion tracked. It's a film based on a comic book about a man who is from outer space, it's bound to have a little cgi.
Loser

This actually sounds like a good Idea we just have to wait and see
Kyle

I think it's a good idea it means they can always change the way the suit looks.. either from the colors or accessories. It's probably nice to be able to change these things after everything is shot and in post production. Then you don't get stuck with "this suit color is off" or "this suit looks really corny" once the footage is reviewed with the rest of the effects, etc.
Antioch

green lantern is a dumb superhero anyway. Reynolds might be able to save it though
blue & orange ny

@ Antioch - Ok it seems like your ass was doing the talking here, you're nuts. I know, you must be a Marvel fan.
Angry Chief

I was going to flame this a bit, but after thinking about it, I am happy with the decision to go with a CGI suit. The suit is probably going to have a green glow on it, especially in any scenes in space. (There had better be those.) That, and when the ring's power is activated, there will probably be some sort of weird new warping effect given to anything viewed through the ring's power.
Xerxex

just don't half ass it.
DarkRaven18599

This is absolutely the right way to go with this. And to all the nay sayers, let me put it this way... If the people at DC, (ex. Geoff Johns), who know a hell of a lot more about creating, writing, drawing, and just plain imagining all that there is to know about Green Lantern are ok with it, don't you think you ought to just give it a chance? Looking forward to this movie and future updates.
Xerxex

I say go with a CGI costume, if its like the one used in Watchmen then we have nothing to worry about, but like I said don't Half-ass it!
DaftPUNKFAN

so im guessing its going to look super shiny or something like that or it will look just like another costume so it kinda defeats the purpose of having it not look like all the other costumes, eh ill be waiting to see a trailer for it
Antioch

@35~ indeed I am a Marvel fan. Definitely love Batman comics too though. Green Lantern is just a lame and Captain Planet-ish. 'Here's a ring- now you can do whatever you want to do. Oh, but others have the rings too, and they can also do whatever they want to do...'
Xerxex

But Antioch he can crush someone with a giant green hammer!
Finer Things Club

Whats CGI?
Typhoon

Reynolds is going to have to work on his voice. He says his " S's " just a little to long. If you've ever heard him speak, you know what I mean. He needs to sound tough. Not "super" friendly.....;)
to Antioch

@ 42 just sounds like you're ignorant. you can't even back up your reasoning correctly.
Dude

#46 funny and true; common sense suggests to wait for a trailer before judgement is passed on this. I just want to see a good movie
to Antioch

haha. thanks I believe that with most movies in preproduction, you kinda have to give them some slack. SOME. it doesn't mean you can't be skeptical but don't just to conclusions, you know?
Jomba joose

Ironman is CGI, but then again so was 3/4th's of the F4. Shouldn't be a big whoop though. I'm sure it will visually look fantastic. Still not "TOO" thrilled about seeing RR in his 3rd Comicbook Role or that PERFECT Flash is playing a GL. I'd have taken that as his 3rd role.
Kelton

Reynolds in CGI. haha awesome.
jaja

Ive worked on the design of the Green Lantern costume and I can tell you: Its gonna kick ass
Bauzer

At first I was sorta angry, then I read more and I have to agree that it does in many ways make sense. Time will tell to see if it looks any good though.
............

Similar to Dr. Manhattan? So You Mean Instead Of Blue Dicks All Over The Place Its Gonna Be Green Dicks Running Wild.....I'll Pass.lol
Me

Cant see Michel Gondry doing CG.
casting couch

Cool idea. Sounds like it'll be very interesting to see the finished VFX.
Lincoln

Why do some people hate CG so much?
Corran Horn

I'm with Rooney on this as well. As long as the CGI is good, I don't have a problem with this. Plus, the rationale makes a lot of sense. The only thing costume-related that bugs me is that mask. How is it supposed to stay on his face? Or, are they going for something different?
Jamie

Same way Indiana Jones hat stayed on his head. Staples.
Greg

This sounds cool. Also it sickens me when people say "CGI=no actors durrr" Yes, because those voices and the emotions they convey are just wandering sounds that distract from the flashing lights. These are the people who make voice actors weep.
Jime

Hes moving away from the cardboard creations that's become his distinct style i guess.
http://www.indianajim.net Indiana Jim

Just remember this is only possible because George Lucas invented Jar-Jar Binks.
zubzwank

The ring keeps the mask on. Hal Jordan wears a mask for the same reasons bruce Wayne and Peter Parker do. I'm old, but I don't understand people who want superhero movies w/o superhero costumes. Because they don't look "real"? Hey listen, people who shoot webs, flame on and fly, or have rings that can stop nuclear weapons aren't real. It's OK if they look different. There's nothing wrong with yellow spandex. Black leather is for rock stars and bikers. Costumes, including masks and capes, are part of the superhero gestalt. GL's costume is, in fact, a uniform. Since he's an intergalactic cop, wearing his uniform is a job requirement. If you want superheroes without costumes, go watch the last Bourne movie (he was pretty much a superhero in that, let's face it) or most James Bond. If you like the character in the comics where he wears his costume, why would you want him different in the movie? So a guy with a powerful weapon in the form of a ring is corny, but a guy who has knives break out of his knuckles is real? Gimme a break. None of them are real. (I like Wolvie btw, including his original costume which I think was made of , uh, yellow spandex.)
1-7

Shame considering Campbell's championing of practical effects.
Iggypop

well i guess it will all depend on how the costume will look in CG... I mean there were CG's that worked wonders for movies like Transformers, Spiderman, Hulk etc. and there were movies that bombed like GI Joe,... We can only hope that they will do this in a meticuluos way...
zubzwank

Some of the shots of Spider-man were cgi. In most of them, it's a real human being wearing a costume made of stretchy fabric, believe it or not. The Hulk does not wear a "costume", unless you consider torn-up purple pants a costume. Once again, I am assuming that those who think GL's "costume" (actually his police uniform) is "corny" don't like him as a comic book character. Otherwise, why wouldn't you want to see a faithful rendition on the big screen? A totally cgi "costume" is a waste. I have no problem with it for certain effects, like glowing green energy, protective force fields, etc. But to show him just standing or even flying, his green and black spandex police uniform is exactly what's needed.
matt kahlig

i think the movie would been better if it was make in cgi. bot who knows . i don,t like who they pick to be the green lantern be the cgi suit good idea could have been osed in other mouie . the thing sould have been all cgi
movshakr

CGI costume is the most INTELLIGENT idea there is!!! After all this is a comic book, and CGI will make the impossible feats be POSSIBLE! CGI will be a lot safer for stunt men and women, WOW that's a great IDEA!!!