In what can only be a strong show of support for a movie that is still in production, Warner Brothers has hired three writers to begin developing a sequel to the upcoming comic book adaptation Green Lantern.
The studio has Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim to begin developing a storyline for Green Lantern 2 while the first film is still a year away from hitting theaters. Additionally, the studio has also tasked the writers with developing a treatment for another potential comic book adaptation, The Flash. Depending on circumstances, the writers’ deals call for them to then turn one of the two treatments in to a full fledged script. Previously, all three writers had worked on the first Green Lantern screenplay.
Still in production in New Orleans, Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, a fearless jet pilot who is recruited to be a member of an intergalactic police force known as the Green Lanterns. James Bond franchise veteran Martin Campbell is directing. The Flash also has a police connection, centering on a police forensic scientist who gains the ability to move at super speed.
This looks to be Warner Brothers first strong move in bringing the characters published by DC Comics to the big screen following a corporate restructure between the two Time Warner-owned companies last September that aimed to allow the comics publisher more creative input into the film adaptations of its characters. Fan favorite writer Geoff Johns was appointed DC’s Chief Creative Officer. (The adaptations of The Losers, released in April and Jonah Hex, due later this month, were in production before the restructure.)
This kind of forward thinking is hopefully the hallmark that Warners and DC have a bigger plan for their comic book adaptations. Marvel Studios has had more than a little success with their ongoing plans to crossover their individual superhero films Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America for the team film The Avengers coming in 2012. Could DC and Warner already be planning on creating a similar shared cinematic universe? I think that we may have actually already seen the first that this may be the case back in March when Angela Bassett was cast in Green Lantern as Amanda Waller, the head of the spy organization Checkmate and a character not usually associated with the Green Lantern books.
