Say hello to Michelle Rodriguez. You know the super star from epic movies like Fast & The Furious, Resident Evil, and Avatar (and lest we not forget her run on the TV series LOST, quite possibly the best show EVAH!). In a recent article published by MoviePilot.Com, they explore DC’s tilt towards a current rumors that Ms. Rodriguez could play the new Green Lantern. Let’s break this down into smaller chunks.
Does Jenny Like This Idea?
I have to be honest. I think that Michelle Rodriguez is a fun actress. And I think she has played some fun roles. But, do I think that she can carry a whole movie by herself, and as Green Lantern, and be believable? Unfortunately, I have my reservations. She’s showed us that she can kick ass in her films – and that’s not the problem. The problem is that I think her acting style falls a little flat. Come on people, she has 3 emotions: kicking-ass, perturbed, and perturbed while kicking ass. That range isn’t enough for what I want out of my LEAD female Green Lantern. But let’s hear what MoviePilot has to say:
“Toss in the fact that Michelle Rodriguez has expresses a desire to play a super-heroine on the big screen, AND that the kick-ass resume of Rodriguez includes films from Fox (Avatar and Machete), Sony (S.W.A.T, Battle: Los Angeles) and, of course, Universal’s Fast and Furious franchise – but none for Disney or DC/WB, and it looks like a perfect pairing.”
So looks like they kind of like the idea. Though, I must add that their article swings towards Jessica Cruz as the main storyline for this rendition of Green Lantern. What’s Jessica’s story you ask?
Jessica Cruz went on a hunting trip with her friends and unfortunately came across mobsters, who were burying a body. Unwilling to have witnesses, the mobsters shot and killed Jessica’s friends while Jessica herself managed to escape, but was extremely traumatized by the incident. After an aggravated assault, Jessica Cruz locked herself in her room for 4 years. During the Crime Syndicate’s rule, she was unwillingly chosen by the Ring of Volthoom, after its former bearer, Harold Jordan of Earth 3, was killed by Sinestro. Unlike the ring’s predecessors, the ring forced upon Jessica and took over her body. Under the influence of the ring, she attacked her home town and was confronted by the Justice League and Doom Patrol. Through the intervention of Batman, Jessica was able to overcome the ring’s influence when he told her that he was a victim like her and that finding strength, even at their worst moment of despair, will overcome their fears.
Seems a little complicated to show on screen if you ask me. So that begs the next question….
Who should play the next Green Lantern?
Now, I’m not done with Michelle Rodriguez. I like the idea of having a woman play Green Lantern. I’m in favor of more women in powerful roles, period. So if you ask me who I’d like to play the next Green Lantern; I’d have to think of someone that I believe could also hold the movie franchise on their backs with the likes of Henry Cavill (Superman) or Batman (Ben Affleck), or Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), or Aquaman (Jason Momoa). And that person IS Michelle Rodriguez.
Now Jenny’s Just Full Of Shit.
No, no, hear me out. As much as I don’t think Michelle Rodriguez can hold up the entire Green Lantern franchise, I DO think she can be part of it. The great thing about Green Lantern is that there are many Green Lanterns. We have the beloved Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Simon Baz, and yes, Jessica Cruz. And even though I made a joke about Michelle only having 3 emotions, at least we can all say she knows how to rough people up on screen, and show that she’s in pain. That’s all Hollywood need to make a blockbuster movie.
My only caveat to any of this, is one simple statement: GREEN LANTERN MUST HAVE A GOOD SCRIPT. I don’t think it really matters who we place in the role of Green Lantern as long as we have great writing and an actor/actress that can deliver their lines in a believable fashion. Let’s take a sample of Michelle doing her perturbed-ass-kicking emotion from LOST:
See? Not so bad right?
But Jenny – you said that you don’t think she could carry the entire franchise, you just said that.
I know I just said that, and I meant it. I don’t think she could carry the ENTIRE franchise, but why not let her be part of it. Why not tell the Green Lantern story the way it was supposed to be written. Go ahead and start with our beloved Hal, John, Kyle, or whoever – Hell – throw them in Batsoup for all I care, but then show how the ring is passed on. And pass it to Michelle (or if you want to call her Jessica Cruz, you can do so). I think she would make an amazing addition to the Justice League movie in the future. And by that time, we could have a great series of Green Lanterns that lead up to her taking the burden of responsibility, along with the likes of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc.
So who do you think should play the Green Lantern?
Gabbing Geek 
Just because she’s never held down a major starring role by herself does not mean she can’t.
The biggest problem with Green Lantern is that, off the comic page, he is probably the most fundamentally silly character on the Justice League. Yes, even moreso than Aquaman. The sort of dynamic that works on the comics page and in a cartoon doesn’t look quite so good with live actors. The Ryan Reynolds movie was all kinds of awful for a lot of reasons, but one of the biggest was he looked downright silly.
Here’s what they should do: take a page from the Justice League animated series and limit the power ring’s basic powers to energy blasts, shields, and flight. Keep the rest of the Corps in the background. Maybe, here’s a thought, don’t make the solo movie an origin. Let GL be one of the experienced guys on the team, maybe turn it into a space-based police procedural. Don’t throw all the crazy ideas out too fast. That was another one of the flaws from the Ryan Reynolds movie. GL is basically a space cop. Treat him that way.
And there’s no reasons Michelle Rodriguez couldn’t play that sort of a character. She has a history of action films and silly pulp. She might be a really good choice as a result.
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Hey, I’m giving her a chance – I just want her to be introduced in the right way. That’s all. I like your idea of making GL “one of the experienced ones” – that may work well for her. She kind of played that role on LOST. LOL
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