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08-02-2011, 10:30 AM
Green Lantern had a reasonable (not great) opening weekend but was otherwise a creative and financial dud. It is an example of that strange studio phenomenon: a film that manages to feel both over-written, with villains and set-pieces seemingly cobbled together from different script drafts, and under-scripted, thanks to the total lack of sense behind most of the character actions.
And audiences didn’t respond, once the marketing gave way to word of mouth.
Because that opening weekend was north of $50m, Warner Bros. is still planning a sequel. What will the studio’s approach be this time? A solid script that establishes a story with logical and emotional drive and then embellishes it with action? Why bother, when it can just be darker and edgier? (Or Dark Knight-ier, as the case may be.)
Warner Bros. film group president Jeff Robinov told the LA Times:
We had a decent opening so we learned there is an audience. To go forward we need to make it a little edgier and darker with more emphasis on action… And we have to find a way to balance the time the movie spends in space versus on Earth.
There is already a script outline put together by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, all of whom worked on the first film. But the LAT reports anonymous sources saying that the outline could be changed or scrapped altogether.
And as for Martin Campbell, who directed the first one, you ask? He has an option to direct the sequel, but WB reportedly doesn’t want him to be in the big chair. So there might be some backstage dealmaking to be done, but expect to see another name on the film in 2013 or so.
As expected.
And audiences didn’t respond, once the marketing gave way to word of mouth.
Because that opening weekend was north of $50m, Warner Bros. is still planning a sequel. What will the studio’s approach be this time? A solid script that establishes a story with logical and emotional drive and then embellishes it with action? Why bother, when it can just be darker and edgier? (Or Dark Knight-ier, as the case may be.)
Warner Bros. film group president Jeff Robinov told the LA Times:
We had a decent opening so we learned there is an audience. To go forward we need to make it a little edgier and darker with more emphasis on action… And we have to find a way to balance the time the movie spends in space versus on Earth.
There is already a script outline put together by Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim, all of whom worked on the first film. But the LAT reports anonymous sources saying that the outline could be changed or scrapped altogether.
And as for Martin Campbell, who directed the first one, you ask? He has an option to direct the sequel, but WB reportedly doesn’t want him to be in the big chair. So there might be some backstage dealmaking to be done, but expect to see another name on the film in 2013 or so.
As expected.