Appearing in both Terminator Salvation and Avatar in 2009 turned a then-relatively unknown Sam Worthington into Hollywood’s newest action star. So naturally, these weren’t his only brushes with franchise filmmaking. As it happens, Worthington was also in consideration to headline at least two other major studio tentpoles around this time, including WB’s ill-fated Green Lantern movie, which went on to star Ryan Reynolds in 2011. And although some might say he dodged a bullet, Worthington recently spoke with Variety about why the opportunity didn’t work out.
Before Terminator and Avatar came along, Worthington was also one of several young actors courted by longtime James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to succeed Pierce Brosnan as the new 007 in 2006’s Casino Royale. He claims that he could “only play Bond as a killer,” failing to nail the “debonair” aspect of the character. However, it sounds as though his Green Lantern audition was a far more awkward experience. While attending a meeting with director Martin Campbell, he found himself questioning questioning the science behind Hal Jordan’s power set, which probably isn’t the smartest thing to do when pursuing the lead role in a superhero movie.
“It didn’t make much sense to me — the suit comes out of his skin?” recalled Worthington. “And I was like, ‘He’s got this powerful ring that can create anything. Well, what can beat the ring?’ The answer was nothing. I was like, ‘Well, something needs to beat it, or it won’t be very interesting.’”
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Clearly, nobody in the room told Worthington about the Green Lanterns Corps’ weakness to the color yellow. Regardless, they still tried to explain the nature of the character’s abilities in other ways, specifically by bringing a replica of Hal’s power ring to the meeting.
“They had the ring on the table and were like, ‘put it on,’” added Worthington. “But I’m like, ‘it’s not real, is it?’ It was very bizarre.”
Worthington’s remarks come at an ironic time, since both of these franchises are in the process of getting rebooted. Broccoli and Wilson are currently on the lookout for a new Bond following Daniel Craig’s retirement from the role in last year’s No Time To Die. Similarly, Warner Bros.’ plans for the future of DC almost definitely includes a vehicle for Green Lantern. But given these latest comments, fans shouldn’t expect Worthington to make the shortlist for either project. In the meantime, viewers can finally see him back as Jake Sully in Avatar: The Way of Water, which is now playing in theaters everywhere.
Could you see Worthington playing Green Lantern? Let us know in the comment section below!
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