A new rumor states that A-list actor Tom Cruise is the front runner to play Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in the upcoming Warner Bros. film Green Lantern Corps. The rumor surfaced on the celebrity gossip website Crazy Days and Nights. Crazy Days and Nights originally ran the rumor as a blind item in March, but only recently revealed that the actor Warner Bros. was looking at to play the role was Cruise and the film was Green Lantern Corps. The website further revealed a major condition that Cruise has for accepting the role. Crazy Days and Nights says that the original script for Green Lantern Corps ended in Jordan’s death. Cruise will only play the role if Jordan survives the events of the film. While Cruise has not commented on rumors of his potential involvement in the film, when asked if he would ever star in a comic book movie, he said that he would be willing to do so provided the film had an interesting script. Henry Cavill, who co-starred with Cruise in last month’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout and plays Superman in the DC Extended Universe, told ScreenRant that he would love to work with Cruise on a DC movie.
Rumors of Cruise being cast as Hal Jordan gained credence with news that Warner Bros. is looking at Christopher McQuarrie to direct the film. Cruise and McQuarrie have been frequent collaborators in the past several years, having worked together on two Mission: Impossible films and the 2012 thriller Jack Reacher. Nevertheless, Crazy Days and Nights maintains that while Cruise is the studio’s first choice for the role, negotiations are currently at a standstill. It is possible that news of Cruise’s potential casting could generate further interest in Green Lantern Corps, and spur Cruise and Warner Bros. to make a deal. Fans of the character are nonetheless heartened by the news, given that Warner Bros. is willing to spend a lot of money to get A-list talent involved with the project. As moviegoers know, while Cruise has yet to star in a comic book movie, he is still one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood. Notably, his Mission: Impossible films are still critical and commercial hits despite the first film in the franchise being released in 1996.
Green Lantern Corps currently has a release date of July 24, 2020. While not many plot details are known, it reportedly features both Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two of the most popular characters from the comic series.
