The studio invested heavily, with a production budget estimated at $200 million. The casting of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan was seen as a coup; Reynolds had the wisecracking charm and leading-man looks. Alongside him were Peter Sarsgaard as the villainous Hector Hammond, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris, and Mark Strong as the stoic Sinestro—a casting choice that almost everyone agrees was perfect.
While the film had the ingredients for success—a charismatic lead, a rich mythology, and a proven director—it stumbled in a few key areas: Green Lantern 2011 Movie
Hector Hammond is a classic DC villain, but in the film, his motivations felt muddled and secondary. He served as a terrestrial threat, but his connection to the overarching cosmic plot felt forced. Peter Sarsgaard gave a committed performance, but the character’s descent into madness lacked the weight needed to carry the first two acts of the film. The studio invested heavily, with a production budget
Financially, the film grossed only $219 million worldwide. Against its $200 million budget (plus another $100 million in marketing), it was a significant loss for Warner Bros. The planned sequel—which had already been announced for 2013—was immediately canceled. Ryan Reynolds has since made a career out of self-deprecating jokes about the movie, most famously in Deadpool 2 where he travels back in time to kill himself before he can star in it. While the film had the ingredients for success—a
Meanwhile, back on Earth, scientist Hector Hammond (Sarsgaard) is called to examine Abin Sur’s body. He is infected by a fragment of Parallax’s psychic energy, causing his brain to grotesquely expand and granting him telekinetic powers. As Hammond descends into madness, Parallax itself heads toward Earth to feed on fear.