Green Lantern on Film & Television
Bearers of the Emerald Power Ring Appearing Outside of Comic Books
Nov 25, 2008
Originally created in 1940, Green Lantern fought crime and Nazis until the end of World War II. The original Green Lantern was Alan Scott and his power ring was a magical device. In the Silver Age of DC Comics, the character of Green Lantern was retooled, his outfit was changed, the power ring became a technological device rather than a magical one.
The new Green Lantern was part of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force led by the Guardians of the Universe.
The Silver Age Green Lantern was Hal Jordan. For most fans, the Hal Jordan incarnation of Green Lantern is the definitive one. A fearless test pilot, Hal fought crime and intergalactic threats both by himself and with the help of other heroes and even other Green Lanterns from the Green Lantern Corps over the next several decades.
During the 1960's, the Green Lantern Corps selected a backup Green Lantern, the feisty and ultimately unreliable Guy Gardner. His outfit was distinctly different from Jordan's, as was his attitude.
In the 1970's there was a point in the comics continuity that Gardner was in a coma, so a second backup Lantern, John Stewart, was selected. An African-American, Stewart wore a costume similar to Jordan's and served as the main Lantern for sector 2814 (the sector of space where Earth can be found) during a time when Jordan resigned from the Corps.
Finally, the power ring has passed to Kyle Rayner, a young artist who uses it's power in novel and artistic ways.
All four of the Green Lanterns created since the Silver Age have been featured in either animated or live action television projects.
Lanterns in Animation
The Hal Jordan Lantern was the first to be translated to television. As part of the Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure, Jordan was part of the three Justice League segments that aired and three segments of his own that he shared with his made for television alien sidekick, Kairo.
The Hal Jordan version also appeared regularly in the various incarnations of the Super Friends that aired from 1973 to 1986, although he was never one of the core characters.
The Kyle Rayner Lantern appeared as a guest star in Superman: The Animated Series that aired in the 1990's. Guy Gardner appeared as well, but not as a Lantern but a thief who steals Jimmy Olsen's camera.
John Stewart's Green Lantern served as one of the core members of the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited for that show's five season run. During the run of the show, various other Green Lanterns from the Corps, including Hal Jordan and Kyle Rayner made appearances.
Hal Jordan returned to television in The Batman in both the fourth and fifth seasons of the show.
Playing on the name of the sidekick in the 1967 short Green Lantern segments, a futuristic Green Lantern going by the name "Kai-Ro" appeared in the two part Batman Beyond episode, "The Call".
Justice League: The New Frontier, the recently released direct to DVD movie, centers largely around Hal Jordan's origins and his first major battle.
Live Action
Green Lantern was first seen in the flesh as part of Legends of the Superheroes, a campy two part show made in the 70's.
Guy Gardner finally received some recognition when his version of Green Lantern was chosen to be part of the live action Justice League show. Unfortunately the pilot was of such low quality that it was never picked up by a network for production.
Actor/rapper Common was signed to play John Stewart in the Justice League movie that was to be released in 2009. Now that Warner Brothers has officially backed away from making a League movie any time soon, there is a good chance that a Green Lantern film could be among their next four major projects.
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