Comic-Con: Protest Jack Black As Green Lantern
Jonas Grumby
to attend can take the opportunity to protest Jack Black as Green
Lantern. There will be a few representatives from Hollywood as well
as reporters (Leno usually sends someone to film a segment), so it
would be the perfect opportunity to voice opposition to that foolish
idea. Having a petition, some specially printed t-shirts, picket
signs, and maybe a fat guy dressed as Green Lantern just to mock Jack
Black, would be some nice ways to speak out against that proposed
movie.
That train wreck can be stopped. Green Lantern is not a very well
known character, so if the people familiar with the character refuse
to support the movie then they would be foolish to move ahead with it.
I'll take organic webshooters. I'll take a black actor as Kingpin.
I'll take Jessica Alba as Sue Storm or any other way they want to give
her to me. But they can keep Jack Black and any attempts to make
Green Lantern into a comedy.
I don't really have anything personal against Jack Black, I just don't
want Green Lantern played for laughs. If they replaced Jack Black
with a different comedian such as Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, or Jim
Carey I would still hate the idea.
PAVELB1
wrote:
Seriously guys...seriously. Let's all grow up a little here. Let's
take a step back and breath deep. One news report from Harry Knowles
and people lose their Effin minds. Let's stop playing into the
stereotypical CBG roles. (Dress a fat guy as Jack Black to mock him??)
The world is not going to come to an end if they make a comedy about
GL. It's not the frigging bible. IT's a COMIC BOOK. Let's try and see
the funny side of things for a change. So many people here seem to
have their self-respect tied into these properties. They seem to think
that if the books they love arn't taken seriously, they won't be taken
seriously. (admit it)
and yes, i agree, Hollywood Doesn't Get It. Why did X-Men make
Gaboozles of money? Cause it was X-Men...no...because it was done
well. But does that mean we have to lower ourselves to personal
attacks on Jack Black? C'mon...
Just shake your heads and move on....or as I was told in the Ebay
thread, protest with your pocketbooks.
And as a sidenote: If Ben Stiller played it seriously (as he can
do...it's just been a while) he'd be fine as GL...IMO.
Jonas Grumby
Hey, if he can mock Green Lantern, then he can be mocked by Green
Lantern fans. I'm still hoping this turns out to be a hoax, but just
in case it's true then a protest at Comic-Con would be an excellent
way to possible stop this.
>
> The world is not going to come to an end if they make a comedy about
> GL. It's not the frigging bible. IT's a COMIC BOOK. Let's try and see
> the funny side of things for a change. So many people here seem to
> have their self-respect tied into these properties. They seem to think
> that if the books they love arn't taken seriously, they won't be taken
> seriously. (admit it)
Imagine how Tolkien fans would have reacted if instead of the Peter
Jackson trilogy, some asses in Hollywood decided to turn the books
into a zany comedy with Carrot Top as Frodo and Rob Schneider as
Gandalf. That wouldn't have gone over well with them at all, and by
screwing with Lord of the Rings the studio would have passed up
millions of dollars in profit.
Should the Tolkien fans have to accept a movie that shows the "funny
side of things" with their favorite characters? I mean Tolkien's work
is just BOOKS.
That should give you an idea of how fans of certain comic book
characters feel when Hollywood decides to make a movie that is not
faithful to the comic. The are are only about four (counting The
Hobbit) Lord of the Rings books, but Green Lantern has been running
almost monthly for over 60 years. That doesn't count appearances in
team books, guest appearances, and appearance in cartoons.
Some of us have been buying Green Lantern comics monthly for decades.
As fans of the character who have helped keep him running all these
years, we deserve a movie that is respectful of the character. I
don't care if they use Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy
Gardner, or Kyle Rayner as the movie Green Lantern, I just want them
to play it straight.
By making the film a comedy, they are not only pissing off all the
fans of the character, but they are also passing up the chance to make
a successful franchise complete with lots of marketing. They could
either turn this another Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, or they could
turn it into another Blank Man.
>
> and yes, i agree, Hollywood Doesn't Get It. Why did X-Men make
> Gaboozles of money? Cause it was X-Men...no...because it was done
> well. But does that mean we have to lower ourselves to personal
> attacks on Jack Black? C'mon...
He knows he's a fat slob. That's his shtick. On the M-TV Movie
Awards he squeezed into a Spider-Man costume for a brief parody on the
movie.
>
> Just shake your heads and move on....or as I was told in the Ebay
> thread, protest with your pocketbooks.
But we have been voting with our pocketbooks for years by supporting
the character Green Lantern. We have bought comics, tradepaperbacks,
action figures, posters, t-shirts, statues, etc. We have helped keep
Green Lantern one of DC's most profitable characters for years.
Without the fans, Green Lantern would be non more successful than Dr.
Occult or Johnny Thunder.
As a fan who has spent hundreds of dollars on Green Lantern related
items over the years (perhaps close to thousands), I think I deserves
to see the character be treated with more respect. If they aren't
going to make the movie right, then they shouldn't make it at all.
>
> And as a sidenote: If Ben Stiller played it seriously (as he can
> do...it's just been a while) he'd be fine as GL...IMO.
Nice to see that you also want it played seriously. Guess you really
don't want to see "the funny side of things for a change" any more
than the rest of use do. (admit it)
PAVELB1
>
>As a fan who has spent hundreds of dollars on Green Lantern related
>items over the years (perhaps close to thousands), I think I deserves
>to see the character be treated with more respect. If they aren't
>going to make the movie right, then they shouldn't make it at all.
>
>>
>> And as a sidenote: If Ben Stiller played it seriously (as he can
>> do...it's just been a while) he'd be fine as GL...IMO.
>
>Nice to see that you also want it played seriously. Guess you really
>don't want to see "the funny side of things for a change" any more
>than the rest of use do. (admit it)
Your points are completly valid. I would *rather* see it played
straight than for laughs. But I'm not going to lose any sleep over it,
either. And being a Jack Black fan, if it's done well, I'll probably
go see it. I'm still trying to find the Daffy Duck/Hal/Kevin Smith
Episode to download.
And comparing the Green lantern property to LOTR is Reeeeeally
streching things.
But, you've obviously given this a lot of thought and it's not a
knee-jerk reaction....so good luck. I do hate to see Jack maligned
though, especially given he's got more musical and comedic ability in
his little finger than about everyone on this newsgroup put together
:>
Jonas Grumby
>
> >
> >As a fan who has spent hundreds of dollars on Green Lantern related
> >items over the years (perhaps close to thousands), I think I deserves
> >to see the character be treated with more respect. If they aren't
> >going to make the movie right, then they shouldn't make it at all.
> >
> >>
> >> And as a sidenote: If Ben Stiller played it seriously (as he can
> >> do...it's just been a while) he'd be fine as GL...IMO.
> >
> >Nice to see that you also want it played seriously. Guess you really
> >don't want to see "the funny side of things for a change" any more
> >than the rest of use do. (admit it)
>
> Your points are completly valid. I would *rather* see it played
> straight than for laughs. But I'm not going to lose any sleep over it,
> either. And being a Jack Black fan, if it's done well, I'll probably
> go see it. I'm still trying to find the Daffy Duck/Hal/Kevin Smith
> Episode to download.
I don't see why they feel the need to turn Green Lantern into a
comedy. If they want to simply make a comedy rip-off of The Mask,
they could create their own character instead of screwing with one of
DC's most popular superheroes.
>
> And comparing the Green lantern property to LOTR is Reeeeeally
> streching things.
Not really. Before the Lord of The Rings movies were made, only the
Tolkien fans really had much respect for those characters, which were
featured in only about four books. The general public generally
dismissed the books as dorky fantasy novels adored by nerds, which is
generally the same public reaction to most comic books.
Green Lantern has been around for 60 years. The comic hasn't run
constantly all the time, but the character has remained pretty visible
for most of that time, except for a brief time between the Golden and
Silver Ages. During those 60 years the character has appeared in
thousands of stories.
So right there, Green Lantern has been around longer and generated
more stories than Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Green Lantern fans
want their favorite characters to be given the same respect they gave
Lord of the Rings.
>
> But, you've obviously given this a lot of thought and it's not a
> knee-jerk reaction....so good luck. I do hate to see Jack maligned
> though, especially given he's got more musical and comedic ability in
> his little finger than about everyone on this newsgroup put together
> :>
Then maybe Jack Black should simply go work on projects involving
music and comedy so we can have a serious Green Lantern movie. As
long as he's connected with Green Lantern (if he is in fact even
connected) then he'll be taking heat for this for years.
The grief Hal Jordan fans gave DC over Kyle is nothing compared to the
grief fans of Green Lantern (all Green Lanterns) will give Warners if
they proceed to make this garbage.
PAVELB1
>
>Green Lantern has been around for 60 years. The comic hasn't run
>constantly all the time, but the character has remained pretty visible
>for most of that time, except for a brief time between the Golden and
>Silver Ages. During those 60 years the character has appeared in
>thousands of stories.
>
>So right there, Green Lantern has been around longer and generated
>more stories than Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Green Lantern fans
>want their favorite characters to be given the same respect they gave
>Lord of the Rings.
>
>>
Popeye's been around even longer, but it's still pulp. And so is Green
Lantern. Even the pretentious O' Neill issues can't hold a candle to
a chapter of LOTR....and I'm a bigger fan of GL than I am of
Tolkein...but i can certainly recognize the superior art.
As far as real artistic value goes ,only the Green Lantern crumbs that
fell from Alan Moore's beard hold up.The rest has been 60 years of
mediocrity.
Jonas Grumby
>
> >
> >Green Lantern has been around for 60 years. The comic hasn't run
> >constantly all the time, but the character has remained pretty visible
> >for most of that time, except for a brief time between the Golden and
> >Silver Ages. During those 60 years the character has appeared in
> >thousands of stories.
> >
> >So right there, Green Lantern has been around longer and generated
> >more stories than Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Green Lantern fans
> >want their favorite characters to be given the same respect they gave
> >Lord of the Rings.
> >
> >>
>
> Popeye's been around even longer, but it's still pulp.
Popeye got a movie that was pretty faithful to the comic strip and
cartoons. I hated the singing, but at least they tried to stay true
to the source material.
>And so is Green
> Lantern. Even the pretentious O' Neill issues can't hold a candle to
> a chapter of LOTR....and I'm a bigger fan of GL than I am of
> Tolkein...but i can certainly recognize the superior art.
Tolkein is overrated. Green Lantern is far more entertaining.
>
> As far as real artistic value goes ,only the Green Lantern crumbs that
> fell from Alan Moore's beard hold up.The rest has been 60 years of
> mediocrity.
Of course, you also seem to think Jack Black is some sort of comedic
and musical genius, which he is not. He should call himself Tedious
D.
Green Lantern is one of the top characters produced by one of the two
top comic book companies. There is easily enough material there to at
the very least create an incredible triology every bit as cool as the
original Star Wars series or The Lord of The Rings movies. But
Warners wants to turn it into Blankman 2 starring Jack Black.
PAVELB1
>>And so is Green
>> Lantern. Even the pretentious O' Neill issues can't hold a candle to
>> a chapter of LOTR....and I'm a bigger fan of GL than I am of
>> Tolkein...but i can certainly recognize the superior art.
>
>Tolkein is overrated. Green Lantern is far more entertaining.
As a Book? Of course. It's pulp. It's McDonalds. A big mac tastes
better than cavier. More enlightening though? Not in any fanboy's most
fevered Katma Tui wet dream.
>
>>
>> As far as real artistic value goes ,only the Green Lantern crumbs that
>> fell from Alan Moore's beard hold up.The rest has been 60 years of
>> mediocrity.
>
>Of course, you also seem to think Jack Black is some sort of comedic
>and musical genius, which he is not. He should call himself Tedious
>D.
>
>Green Lantern is one of the top characters produced by one of the two
>top comic book companies. There is easily enough material there to at
>the very least create an incredible triology every bit as cool as the
>original Star Wars series or The Lord of The Rings movies. But
>Warners wants to turn it into Blankman 2 starring Jack Black.
Star Wars? Yes. It's pulp too. LOTR? Maybe. But there's no definitive
source material there. Like I said it's 60 years of mediocrity
sprinkled with some bight lights here and there. Now if you and I and
Bryan Singer sat down and weeded out sixty years of The Shark's yellow
force-field, Sonar, Emerald Twilight, Kyle Rayner, and that stupid
drunk driving crap....then maybe you'd be left with something that
could compare to LOTR. But I'm not going to hold my breath...
..this is all irrelevent anyway. I really don't think this movie is
going to get made. Jack Black is not stupid and he's a bit of a weenus
fanboy himself. After he gets over the knee-jerk reaction of jumping
at the chance to play GL (and who wouldn't??) and hears enough
screaming, he'll probably back out. So you're right. Scream loud and
long enough at your Comic-Con and you might actually win.
Host
"Jonas Grumby" <skippe...@elvis.com> wrote in message
news:e128c4e9.04071...@posting.google.com...
> Since Comic-Con starts next week, maybe some of you who are planning
> to attend can take the opportunity to protest Jack Black as Green
> Lantern. There will be a few representatives from Hollywood as well
> as reporters (Leno usually sends someone to film a segment), so it
> would be the perfect opportunity to voice opposition to that foolish
> idea. Having a petition, some specially printed t-shirts, picket
> signs, and maybe a fat guy dressed as Green Lantern just to mock Jack
> Black, would be some nice ways to speak out against that proposed
> movie.
>
> That train wreck can be stopped. Green Lantern is not a very well
> known character, so if the people familiar with the character refuse
> to support the movie then they would be foolish to move ahead with it.
>
> I'll take organic webshooters. I'll take a black actor as Kingpin.
> I'll take Jessica Alba as Sue Storm or any other way they want to give
> her to me. But they can keep Jack Black and any attempts to make
> Green Lantern into a comedy.
>
to be toned down a LOT!!!
If we got something that was close to the original concept then it would a
special effects nightmare. If we give the ring to Jack Black and make it
more of a situational comedy then we have something which can be done a lot
easier.
I think the best way to make a GL flic happen is to simplify it and put
regular people into position, start from the ground level so to speak.
If they make a GL flic and put all the regulars into position then the
general public wont have a clue what's going on. Although most people in the
U.S. do know about the character Green Lantern.
I AM the LAW!!!
Judge Matt.
Josephthomann
So you're saying that if the best way to get a GL movie made is to totally shit
all over it and make a bad movie, that's preferable than having no GL movie
made at all? If so, then you need to be sterilized to prevent your idiot genes
from passing into the gene pool.
Clell Harmon
Jonas Grumby wrote:
How about Ben Stein? His monotone would be great for the power ring
recharge oath...
Steven L Cox
wrote:
>Since Comic-Con starts next week, maybe some of you who are planning
>to attend can take the opportunity to protest Jack Black as Green
>Lantern.
Nah.
-s-
M.O.R
EEEEwwwwww....can you imagine Adam Sandler doing his Waterboy schtick as GL.
Argh, that would be incredibly painful.
MOR
M.O.R
"Steven L Cox" <steve...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ornlf01ccv71o385g...@4ax.com...
petition, online or otherwise, but not Jack Black.
Jack Black is just as human as the rest of us, even tho, to be quite honest,
all we ever see of each other is text. Why mock him because of his
weight??? If some idiot producer wants to cast him as GL, blame the
producer, he's the idiot. Can you blame JB for not turning down millions of
dollars if some idiot puts the money in front of him??? While I respect
your passion for the character, he's one of my faves also, attacking a guy
on his weight is incredibly immature, and would only show up the insultee
than Jack himself. If the movie were made, it would get about as much money
as Catwoman will from my pocket, ie De Nada, zip, nothing.
Put together a petition, not an assault on Jack himself, who already has
issues with his weight, hence his going on a diet, and would feel the same
sting as anyone else would. Just cos they'll get rid of Jack, doesn't mean
they won't play it as a comedy with some other guy. Can you imagine Adam
Sandler in the role??? Ten times worse than anything Jack Black could do to
the character.
Kinda wondering why they did not go with John Stewart as the Green Lantern,
considering how well the show is doing.
MOR
Host
"Josephthomann" ranted...
> >>
> >I think that right now the best GL movie we are EVER going to get will
have
> >to be toned down a LOT!!!
> >If we got something that was close to the original concept then it would
a
> >special effects nightmare. If we give the ring to Jack Black and make it
> >more of a situational comedy then we have something which can be done a
lot
> >easier.
> >I think the best way to make a GL flic happen is to simplify it and put
> >regular people into position, start from the ground level so to speak.
> >If they make a GL flic and put all the regulars into position then the
> >general public wont have a clue what's going on. Although most people in
the
> >U.S. do know about the character Green Lantern.
>
> So you're saying that if the best way to get a GL movie made is to totally
shit
> all over it and make a bad movie, that's preferable than having no GL
movie
> made at all?
Where did I write, "Shit all over it and make it a bad movie."???
> If so, then you need to be sterilized to prevent your idiot genes
> from passing into the gene pool.
Well gee, I guess I am glad I didn't actually write, "Shit all over it and
make it a bad movie". But thanks for your fucking concern, your compassion
is truly a virtue. Next time I have a BBQ I'll be sure to invite you.....
And since this has officially turned into an insult match, and since I
started this mini-thread, I guess I'll FINISH IT!!!
To be perfectly fucking honest, a GL movie/comedy with Jack Black in it
would actually be a GOOD FUCKING IDEA!!!!
First of all, can you imagine: Jack Black somehow getting an actual ring and
the hijinks which would ensue???? IT WOULD BE FUCKING HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!
ALMOST AS FUNNY AS U TRYING TO CONVINCE EVERYONE HOW INTELLIGENT U ARE!!!!
Second of all, if they did make the movie then maybe all the JOSEPHTHOMANN'S
in the universe might just have nervous break-down's (because you are an
insufferable FANBOY who goes into denial everytime someone does something
DIFFERENT, and can't even handle listening to someone elses opinion without
spewing forth a flood of crap out of your mouth). Then they would not be
able to type anymore, saving all of us REGULAR people from BULLSHIT
COMMENTS!!!!!!
Gee, that's two OUTSTANDING reasons to make the movie already.
And I'll even go out on a limb here just for the sake of telling the facts
of the matter EXACTLY AS THEY ARE...and I know I am gonna catch a lot of
flak for this but I am pissed off now so I really don't care...
The story of the ring STARTS with the ring, and it ENDS with the ring.
PERIOD!
It aint about HAL JORDON (and trust me, I have read MANY enjoyable stories
with Hal, and Guy, and John, and etc...), it is about the RING. PERIOD! What
the ring does, what it makes people do, how it is used, what it represents,
ETC...........!
So if JACK BLACK gets the ring then GUESS WHAT???? It becomes the RING (with
JACK BLACK), and GOD help anyone who gets in the way!!!!!!!
WARNER BROS if u are reading this then WRITE A POST PLEASE!!!!! The more I
think about it, the more I LIKE IT!!!!!! IF U GUYS NEED ANY HELP WITH A
SCREENPLAY I WILL HELP!!!!!!! PLEASE MAKE THIS MOVIE!!!!!!!!
I AM the LAW josephthomann.
Don't forget it...
JUDGE MATT!
Neil4161
From: skippe...@elvis.com (Jonas Grumby)
Date: Sun, Jul 18, 2004 5:09 AM
Message-id: <e128c4e9.04071...@posting.google.com>
I would tend to agree that minimally, the Green Lantern saga could be played
well as a really decent franchise with loads of action figures and props. The
Warner execx -- if this is true -- is really selling the property short. You
could have Jack Black play the guy in a Yodaish sort of way as a trainer for
Green Lantern with some humor inate in a potential absent minded eccentric
character. CGI should easily take care of effects. This way if Black did a
decent job as a trainer, it would elevate his acting status causing him to be
considerde for more dramatic roles, expanding his saleability as a film actor.
Green Lantern could be like Star Wars with moments of decent humor depending on
who wears the costume as out hero goes through the process of learning how to
use the ring. And imagibe those galactic battles trying to save Earth. Just a
thought. Every decent movie should have some light moments.
I think it may also depend on the Fantastic Four movie, too. They're playing
that more as a comedy from what I understand. Kind of like the Fab Four are
celebrated superheroes.
Neil
Dsikula
>Message-id: <e128c4e9.04071...@posting.google.com>
>
>As a fan who has spent hundreds of dollars on Green Lantern related
>items over the years (perhaps close to thousands), I think I deserves
>to see the character be treated with more respect. If they aren't
>going to make the movie right, then they shouldn't make it at all.
With no disrespect intended, you are exactly the kind of sucker that DC counts
on. We all spend plenty of money on funnybooks and related items, and DC keeps
screwing us (the Bat-movies, Catwoman, the many Superman movie fiascos, LoEG,
IC) and we keep coming back for more. Warners doesn't give a crap what "the
fans" want; all they want is loud and violent or gross-out fodder for their
film studio. 95% of America has never heard of Green Lantern and even fewer
care. Why should Hollywood pay attention to the wishes of less than 100,000
afficionadoes of a dying art form?
It's like a dog that keeps getting beaten by its owner but keeps coming back
for more. Until we wise up and use out power of the purse and stop buying crap
comics, memorabilia, and movie tickets, it's going to keep happening.
Do I wish they'd wise up and treat the properties with respect and care? Yes.
Do I expect them to? Not a chance in hell.
--Dave Sikula
-------------------------
"Those who like this sort of thing will find this is the sort of thing they
like." --Abraham Lincoln
gclap...@cix.compulink.co.uk
skippe...@elvis.com (Jonas Grumby) wrote:
>
> Not really. Before the Lord of The Rings movies were made, only the
> Tolkien fans really had much respect for those characters, which were
> featured in only about four books
But they were aware of them - I strongly suspect the same wouldn't be true
of Green Lantern.
Jonas Grumby
I think there is a small segment of the general public who is familiar
with Green Lantern. The character has been around for 60 years and
has appeared in a good many comics and also in toys and cartoons.
Many people may have different images of who Green Lantern is, ranging
from Golden Age Alan Scott, Silver Age Hal Jordan (also featured on
Super Friends), Guy Gardner (the Justice League comic Green Lantern
for years), John Stewart (the Green Lantern on the Justice League
cartoon and tons of current merchandise), and Kyle Rayner (the current
Green Lantern). The people who know him, know him to be a fit heroic
person with a special ring that can make energy constructs.
This could be a cash cow for Warners, but they want to turn it into
Blankman 2. There is no reason why Green Lantern couldn't be adapted
into a great trilogy or even a franchise. There's just too much good
source material out there to be adapted and too many possibilites for
marketing tie-ins for this to be trashed.
What do they really gain by using an existing character and changing
things up to the point where the fan base of that character isn't even
interested in seeing the movie? This isn't like Batman or Catwoman
where the characters are so well know through popular culture that
they can dismiss the opinions of comic fans.
Mike Ward
news:20040718225730...@mb-m04.aol.com:
> 95% of America has never heard of Green Lantern and even fewer care.
Are you sure about that?
At least a few percent are going to be familiar with him from the comics
whether they read him today or read him years ago and whether they were an
avid collector or just an occasion reader.
Even more will remember him from the Superfriends.
And a sizable chunk were introduced to him from the Justice League Cartoon.
And Green Lantern's popped up in other places as well from the Superhero
roast in the 70's to a recent episode of Duck Dodgers.
Mike
Joe Bergeron
<ho...@yomama.com> wrote:
> I think that right now the best GL movie we are EVER going to get will have
> to be toned down a LOT!!!
> If we got something that was close to the original concept then it would a
> special effects nightmare. If we give the ring to Jack Black and make it
> more of a situational comedy then we have something which can be done a lot
> easier.
Yes, we've all seen the failure potential of movies which can't be made
easily.
> I think the best way to make a GL flic happen is to simplify it and put
> regular people into position, start from the ground level so to speak.
> If they make a GL flic and put all the regulars into position then the
> general public wont have a clue what's going on. Although most people in the
> U.S. do know about the character Green Lantern.
Right, notice how the moviegoing public sank the failed LOTR films by
being unable to sort out all those characters.
--
Joe Bergeron
Iarwain
As crazy as it seems this doesn't bother me much. And I'm a huge
Green Lantern fan. I actually think this could work. Yeah, I'd
rather see a "serious" attempt at the character and it won't exactly
be Green Lantern but I'm willing to give it a chance. Maybe because I
never really expected a well done high budget Green Lantern movie to
be made anyway, as much as I would enjoy it. I'd rather see this
bizarro version than none at all, and with Jack Black involved, it's
more likely that the movie will be made.
Kevin Robinson
> dsi...@aol.com (Dsikula) wrote in
> news:20040718225730...@mb-m04.aol.com:
>
> > 95% of America has never heard of Green Lantern and even fewer care.
>
> Are you sure about that?
> roast in the 70's to a recent episode of Duck Dodgers.
GL has been namechecked in other pop culture works, notably
Donovan's hit tune "Sunshine Superman" and the 1990's sitcom
"Seinfeld." Remember when Elaine decided the Lantern wasn't
cool because she "didn't like jewelry on men"?
I'd probably estimate that half the U.S. has a vague, buried
awareness that they have encountered the character, but he
would never near the top of the "superhero" category on an
episode of Family Feud.
Kevin
John L Fjellstad
Considering there are 3600 Green Lanterns out there, why couldn't Jack
Black be one of them? I think he would make a wonderful Killowog or
G'nort. It would be boring to have 3600 GLs who are all as serious as
Hal Jordan.
--
John L. Fjellstad
web: http://www.fjellstad.org/ Quis custodiet ipsos custodes
Iarwain
> awareness that they have encountered the character
I wore a Green Lantern shirt to work a few months ago. Not a single
person knew who he was. I asked around just because I was curious. A
few people thought they had heard of him but it turned out they were
thinking of the Green Hornet. I would have thought Green Lantern
would have a higher recognition factor than the Green Hornet by now!
PAVELB1
Are you an intern for the Republican Party? That's crazy....I would
have thought at least %60 of people would have heard of him, and
thought the %5 figure quoted somewhere was nuts. But based on what
you've said....I dunno.
Jonas Grumby
The fact that he's not that well known shouldn't matter that much.
Blade was pretty obscure even to comic fans and his movies have done
well.
The problem is that they are pissing off long time fans of the
character by making a movie that isn't true to the comic book hero for
no real reason since the name "Green Lantern" itself isn't really
going to create a lot of interest from the general public.
The Mask succeeded because of Jim Carey. Just watch how Son of The
Mask flops. Maybe after that happens Warners will pass on the idea to
rip it off.
Warners should look at Marvel's success with their movies and try to
follow their lead. First, they need to be true to the source material
and try to make a quality movie. Second, they need to look at the big
picture by creating franchises out of many different characters
instead of justing riding on Batman and Superman.
After the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, Green Lantern is the
best DC superhero to use for a franchise just based on the vast amount
of source material. They could easily create a massive epic triology
dealing full of aliens and space adventure.
The licensing possibilities for a sci-fi superhero movie are going to
be much better than with a comedy. I doubt many kids want to play
with a Jack Black action figure. Just think of how they can slap the
Green Lantern symbol on a wide variety of products, just as they did
with Batman.
Here's what I suggest:
First, the need to draft a script that keeps Green Lantern as a
serious superhero movie. I don't care if the lead character is Hal,
Kyle, or John (or Guy, I don't think Alan meshes well with the sci-fi
angle). They should then cast popular actors in the lead, as the love
interest, and as the villain.
Ideally the first movie should be an origin story. Hal's origin would
work the best. The should introduce Hal and set up the character,
then have Abin Sur crash and give him the ring. Carol Ferris, Tom,
and other supporting characters from that series should be involved,
but they also might have John and Guy as supporting characters before
they get their own rings. The story should deal with Hal learning
about the ring and defeating Sinestro. The need to work in the
Hal/Carol love affair to provide the necessary romance for the movie.
The end of the movie should have Hal finally meet the Green Lantern
Corps and Guardians of the Universe, setting up the sequel.
Over the next couple of movies, Hal could recruit John and Guy as
Green Lanterns to help him battle other classic villains such as Evil
Star, Blackhand, Star Sapphire, The Weaponers of Quard, The
Manhunters, Hector Hammond, or Sonar. I'd go with The Manhunters for
the second movie with Evil Star and Star Sapphire in the third.
I think the first movie should be pretty self contained, but it should
set the stage for a bigger story. If done properly, then they could
carefully build a tight triology without having to announce it as such
up front.
Jonas Grumby
> have thought at least %60 of people would have heard of him, and
> thought the %5 figure quoted somewhere was nuts. But based on what
> you've said....I dunno.
I think if you take into account the entire general public, then Green
Lantern is not well known. However, if you narrow things down a bit
to certain age group (maybe 8 - 40?) then many of them would probably
know the character at least from cartoon appearances. That age group
is generally the ones who attend movies anyway.
Green Lantern is certainly more well know than Daredevil or Blade were
before their movies. Marvel showed that they can adapt lesser known
characters, stay pretty true to the source material, and still make a
successful movie.
Tim Turnip
>> I'd probably estimate that half the U.S. has a vague, buried
>> awareness that they have encountered the character
>
>I wore a Green Lantern shirt to work a few months ago. Not a single
>person knew who he was. I asked around just because I was curious.
You must not work in IT. :-)
Kevin Robinson
> kev...@my-deja.com (Kevin Robinson) wrote in message news:<3be3f335.04071...@posting.google.com>...
>
> Blade was pretty obscure even to comic fans and his movies have done
> well.
This is a very good point. Following the "one-sentence" rule for
explaining characters, you get "Blade is a half-vampire vampire
hunter," which any fan of Buffy and Angel would absorb instantly.
> The problem is that they are pissing off long time fans of the
> character by making a movie that isn't true to the comic book hero for
> no real reason since the name "Green Lantern" itself isn't really
> going to create a lot of interest from the general public.
What is really stupid is that GL's short version, "Green Lantern is a
normal human bestowed with a Ring of Power, to fight evil" isn't
that hard to understand. One doesn't have to bring the Corps in
intially. Alan Scott was quite popular in the Golden Age without one.
The producers are tapping in to one of the key advantages of the
franchise. ANYBODY can be a GL. A recalcitrant star won't sign
for a sequel? He can die heroically in the opening of Act I of the
second film, and bequeath the bauble to a new recruit. Heck, he can
just be wounded and temporarily on the Disabled List.
If I wrote a "Jack Black as GL" script, that would be the hook.
Hal or Kyle or John gets zapped a little too hard by a Qwardian
Weaponer, and has to recover from the effects. GL tells the ring
to find someone honest and without fear, and it brings him...
Hubert Schmendrick (Black), who has to learn how to use the ring.
Given his girth, Black's character may have the same problem I have
when confronted by chocolate or porter - no will power. There would
be the required MOS when Schmendrick summons the will to get the job
done - save Earth, the country, Coast City, his sweetheart or his Mom.
The real Gl gets better, reclaims his ring, and Hubert goes back to
his normal life, but as a changed man. If the movie was a hit, and
WB wanted and got Black for a sequel, you could use him again. If
Jack asked for too much $, or didn't want to repeat the role, you
could tell the story of the "regular" GL, or the next recruit.
But, I would rather they do the first film with Abin Sur handing the
ring and battery to Hal.
Kevin
Jonas Grumby
>
> ..this is all irrelevent anyway. I really don't think this movie is
> going to get made. Jack Black is not stupid and he's a bit of a weenus
> fanboy himself. After he gets over the knee-jerk reaction of jumping
> at the chance to play GL (and who wouldn't??) and hears enough
> screaming, he'll probably back out. So you're right. Scream loud and
> long enough at your Comic-Con and you might actually win.
Done and done. If fans really want to stop this now, the Comic-Con is
going to be their best chance to get attention.
It's nothing personal against Jack Black. Fans don't want Green
Lantern turned into a comedy period. Even comedians who look closer
to a traditional Green Lantern such as Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Greg
Kinnear, etc. would get criticized if they were associated with an
attempt to turn Green Lantern into a "zany comedy".
I don't mind elements of comedy. Spider-Man 2 showed how you can have
a nice balance of comedy, action, and romance. The fact that
Spider-Man 2 has pulled in a ton of money should have the Warners
execs thinking of ways to emulate that. In the 1990s Kyle Rayner was
basically a Peter Parker rip-off anyway.
I'm telling you, Green Lantern could be a franchise as huge as Lord of
the Rings or Star Wars. All the elements for success are there. The
character isn't as well known as Spider-Man or Batman, but with a
faithful adaptation of the comic it could be huge.
Jonas Grumby
> >Subject: Comic-Con: Protest Jack Black As Green Lantern
> >From: skippe...@elvis.com (Jonas Grumby)
> >Date: 7/18/2004 6:02 AM Pacific Daylight Time
> >Message-id: <e128c4e9.04071...@posting.google.com>
> >
> >As a fan who has spent hundreds of dollars on Green Lantern related
> >items over the years (perhaps close to thousands), I think I deserves
> >to see the character be treated with more respect. If they aren't
> >going to make the movie right, then they shouldn't make it at all.
>
> With no disrespect intended, you are exactly the kind of sucker that DC counts
> on. We all spend plenty of money on funnybooks and related items, and DC keeps
I don't think it's DC doing it. It's the parent company AOL/Time
Warners. DC is finally returning Hal Jordan as Green Lantern after
ten years or so. What they did to Hal wasn't that nice, but Kyle
wasn't a bad character. I also think some of the changes such as
making Kyle the only GL for a while and getting rid of the yellow
weakness helped make the character stronger.
> screwing us (the Bat-movies, Catwoman, the many Superman movie fiascos, LoEG,
> IC) and we keep coming back for more. Warners doesn't give a crap what "the
> fans" want; all they want is loud and violent or gross-out fodder for their
> film studio. 95% of America has never heard of Green Lantern and even fewer
> care. Why should Hollywood pay attention to the wishes of less than 100,000
> afficionadoes of a dying art form?
I don't think it's just people who currently buy the Green Lantern
comic who have an interest in seeing the movie done right. There are
fans who just read the character in back issues, reprints, or team
books. There are former fans who loved the character but are not into
comics right now. There are people who know him from cartoons or
toys. I mean, I'm sure most people who went to see Spider-Man 2
haven't read a Spider-Man comic in years and many probably have never
read on at all.
>
> It's like a dog that keeps getting beaten by its owner but keeps coming back
> for more. Until we wise up and use out power of the purse and stop buying crap
> comics, memorabilia, and movie tickets, it's going to keep happening.
Again, it's not DC. From what I've read there are people at DC who
don't want this to happen, but have been overruled by the Warners
execs.
What we can do, is stop supporting Warners movies. If we refuse to go
see ANY Warners films or buy or rent their dvds, then we could affect
their bottomline enough to get a few suits fired. However, the only
way to really make that work is to organize a boycott and let the
heads of the studio know why.
>
> Do I wish they'd wise up and treat the properties with respect and care? Yes.
> Do I expect them to? Not a chance in hell.
Well, it's really their loss. I'm not strictly a DC fan, so I guess
I'll just spend my money on the Marvel films. Avi Arad actually has
respect for comic fans and he's helping get blockbuster movies made
based on even the most obscure Marvel characters like Blade. Arad
understand that if he gets some good films made then not only will he
bring in the fanboys but he will also bring in general audiences and
in the process make a ton of money of which he gets a nice cut.
If the Warners execs don't want to make good movies based on DC Comic,
we can always save our cash for X-Men 3, Spider-Man 3, Iron Man, Ghost
Rider, Fantastic Four, Iron Fist, Namor, Hulk 2, Elektra, Daredevil 2,
Man-Thing, Silver Surfer, Captain America, Black Widow, Deathlok, Nick
Fury, Dazzler, Cloak & Dagger. and the rest of the Marvel movies are
in development. And after Blade, we know even the lesser known stuff
like Dazzler will probably be entertaining.
Derek Blake Haas
news:e128c4e9.04071...@posting.google.com...
> I don't see why they feel the need to turn Green Lantern into a
> comedy.
He has jewelry from a space alien that is powered by a bright green lamp,
that lets him make anything of which he can think (but won't work regarding
anything yellow). His greatest enemy is a purple man with a bulbous head,
handlebar moustache, and ring that works exactly the same as Our Hero's,
except for making (Gasp!) yellow things.
Now, given that premise, write me a movie for mass consumption that isn't
either a comedy or a shitty SFX-vehicle action flick with threadbare plot.
james ambuehl
< Kinda wondering why they did not go with John Stewart as the Green
Lantern, considering how well the show is doing. >
Me: Hmm. I can see Samuel L. Jackson, reciting the oath: ". . . Let
those motherf**kers that worship Evil's might, beware my bad*ss power .
. Green Lantern's motherf**king light!" ;-)
-- Jim
"Currently she was standing in the middle of what appeared to be his
TARDIS library. But it was a library of the evil and the arcane, where
the godless 'Necronomicon' was sandwiched between those terrible works
'Liber Inducens in Evangelium Aeternum' and 'The Black Scrolls of
Rassilon'. Where the infamous 'Book of Vile' and its Black Appendix sat
next to 'The Ambuehl Lores' and the wretched 'Insidium of Astrolabus'
.."
-- THE QUANTUM ARCHANGEL by Craig Hinton
Jonas Grumby
> "Jonas Grumby" <skippe...@elvis.com> wrote in message
> news:e128c4e9.04071...@posting.google.com...
>
> > I don't see why they feel the need to turn Green Lantern into a
> > comedy.
>
> He has jewelry from a space alien that is powered by a bright green lamp,
> that lets him make anything of which he can think (but won't work regarding
> anything yellow). His greatest enemy is a purple man with a bulbous head,
> handlebar moustache, and ring that works exactly the same as Our Hero's,
> except for making (Gasp!) yellow things.
There was a recent trilogy of movies that centered around a piece of
jewelry with magical properties that featured all sorts of strange
individuals. The called it The Lord of The Rings and it made quite a
bit of money.
The weakness to things that are yellow was discarded over a decade
ago.
>
> Now, given that premise, write me a movie for mass consumption that isn't
> either a comedy or a shitty SFX-vehicle action flick with threadbare plot.
George Lucas has made quite a bit of money making "shitty SFX-vehicle
action flicks with threadbare plot" these past few years with Episodes
I and II (and soon III). While those movies haven't been great, they
have made millions in profit.
PAVELB1
Scripted seriously,,,I'm trying to figure out how to avoid giving Hal
the ring in the first fifteen minutes of the movie, which is a pivotal
moment and shouldn't happen so soon....Maybe:
An opening shot ala' Predator or The Thing would be nice....but that
doesn't give us much time to establish character with Hal.
Then perhaps Hal's aircraft can be disabled by the re-entry of Abins
spacecraft...Hal has to eject...lands near Abin's crashed
craft....goes to investigate...Abin gives him the ring with only a few
cryptic words....Hal leaves Abin's ship before the ship self
destructs...then we cut to Hal back at base pondering the ring.
The problem with doing a comic-book movie is you have to play up the
human elements and tone down the comic ones. Spider-man is easy
because his origin plays up his humanity and he doesn't actually
BECOME Spider-man until well into the movie. You have to ease your
audience into the more fantastic elements of a movie like this...hence
why i cut out all the Abin's ring finding the best replacement or Hal
putting on the ring and BOING!!!: He's in a Green Lantern outfit.
Just some ponderings.....
Jonas Grumby
I think the very first shots need to show Abin Sur in battle with
Sinestro. Let's open up with a power ring battle just to demonstrate
the power of the ring. It would also help explain why Abin has to get
into a spaceship, since he could be wounded in the fight. Abin then
gets into his ship to get back to Oa, but his ship is hit by Sinestro.
Cut to the Earth in Coast City where we establish Hal Jordan and the
supporting characters like Carol Ferris, Tom, Guy Gardner, John
Stewart, Kyle, etc. I think all of the characters could be employees
of Ferris Aircraft without really altering them much. I personally
prefer the cartoon version of John Stewart as ex-military so he could
be in charge of security at the company. Guy could be a mechanic and
Kyle could be the companies art/public relations director.
After some set up we get to the Silver Age origin or Abin's ship
crashing and Hal coming upon the scene to find him. I would also cut
the stuff with the ring seeking out someone. I prefer that Hal just
happens to be the one who finds him. This would happen no sooner than
a half hour into the movie.
Then we get some scenes where Hal learns to use the ring, but he
doesn't yet get into the costume. He slowly discovers how it works
and how he must recharge the ring when it runs out of juice. I would
ditch the whole yellow weakness and 24 hour limit. During this time
there would be some comedy.
I think it would be cool to have the ring speak to him, as it did in
the comics on occassion. After he learns how to use it, then the ring
could explain that he is now Green Lantern and then Hal gets into a
version of Abin's uniform. Once he's in action we can have a few
scenes where he uses the ring to stop local threats such as an
airplane highjacking and street crimes. We we could him establishing
himself in the media as the superhero Green Lantern.
Of course, we would also have developments in Hal's personal life such
as his relationship with Carol Ferris and his friendship with the
other guys.
After about an hour into the film, Sinestro returns and demands the
ring or else he will destroy the planet. The rest of the film is
Hal's battle with Sinestro. At the end after he has defeated
Sinestro, Hal is transported by the Guardians of the Universe to Oa
where he find he is just one Green Lantern in a universe full of alien
Green Lanterns. This sets things up for future movies.
I am basically using the example set by Green Lantern's origin from
Superman: The Animated Series.
Devlin Tay
"Iarwain" <iarw...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:17aca119.04071...@posting.google.com...
Right .... perhaps that sort of attitude is why Warner Bros keeps churning
out stinkers like "Steel" or "Catwoman" instead of capitalising on its
wealth of potential franchises by actually making GOOD comic book
adaptations.
Devlin
Perth, Australia