In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, an elite, powerful force has existed for centuries.  Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. Warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him the ability to create anything his mind can imagine.  But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before.  But Hal's humanity is one weapon no member of the Corps has ever had, and if--with willpower, determination and the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively)--Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will save the Earth and all of mankind from certain destruction.
Bringing the enduringly popular superhero to the big screen for the first time, "Green Lantern" stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role, under the direction of Martin Campbell.  Campbell directed the film from a screenplay by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim and Michael Goldenberg, story by Greg Berlanti & Michael Green & Marc Guggenheim, based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. 

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
"In brightest day, in blackest night,no evil shall escape my sight…"  --Hal Jordan
At the edge of space, a war has been raging between those who rule with fear, and those who protect life: the Green Lantern Corps.  And when one great warrior is lost, another must be chosen. 
This time, for the first time, one of us will become one of them.
"I was so thrilled to be bringing Green Lantern to the big screen at last," director Martin Campbell states, "because, to me, he is one of the most exciting and interesting superheroes in all of comics.  First off, he's a human being, and has a lot of character flaws, so on that level, he's totally relatable.  But he also gets to go to other worlds, so his adventures have infinite potential."
One of the things that has always set Green Lantern apart from most superheroes--and one of the elements that has made him so popular--is that, by the very nature of the Corps, his job takes him to the farthest reaches of space.
"Superhero movies are meant to capture our imagination in some of the most impossible ways," says Ryan Reynolds, who takes on the title role.  "To that end, Green Lantern is a perfect character to bring to the movies because he really has it all--action, adventure, humor and humanity."
Producer Donald De Line affirms, "Going in, we were all very excited, knowing that today's filmmaking technology would allow us to bring Green Lantern to the screen in a way that would showcase the fun, fighting and fantastical escapades in great detail and epic scope."
Blake Lively, who stars as Carol Ferris, offers, "We've got explosions and fights and trips to outer space and back, but I love that the movie also has a great sense of fun and a hint of romance about it.  And the Corps should appeal to women, too--representing virtually every species of alien imaginable, it's definitely not a men's-only club."
Audiences who are new to Green Lantern might not be aware that Hal Jordan is only one of a force of thousands, all of whom have the title of Green Lantern.
Mark Strong, who stars as one of their leaders, Sinestro, was drawn to the film's thematic issues.  "I'm intrigued by the notion of the balance between fear and will.  This is a story about what you can achieve, and overcome, if you put your mind to it, and it's told in a really dynamic, electrifying way."
"I think people love to see characters who have the courage to go up against the forces of evil on a grand scale, and not succumb, but become, that hero we all wish we had inside of us," Peter Sarsgaard, who plays Hector Hammond, attests.
"I've wanted to write a superhero film for a very long time," writer and producer Greg Berlanti says.  "I grew up loving comic books.  As a kid I found Green Lantern so thrilling because he's one of the few who goes off-planet.  He was plucked from here and brought amongst the stars to protect the Earth, so for me and my friends, he represented real wish fulfillment.  Through those stories, we got to see the entire universe."

"…Let those who worship evil's might,beware my power--Green Lantern's light!"  --Hal Jordan
These words complete the Green Lantern oath--the vow taken by each of the Lanterns in the cosmos who have sworn to serve and protect--words that aficionados of the character have known by heart for years, and that moviegoers will hear for the very first time this summer when they are spoken by new inductee, Hal Jordan.
"The oath is extremely important," Campbell says.  "It has always been part of Green Lantern lore and when we first hear it in the film, it's a pivotal moment.  Hal's just been given the ring and the lantern, and he doesn't know what either of them means, until they come together and draw the oath out of him, and his voyage of discovery begins."
For the uninitiated, the oath, along with the lantern and ring, are the outward tools that provide a Green Lantern his powers; with them and with his own strength of will, he can create or do anything his mind can envision.
The character goes back over 70 years, first appearing in All-American Comics in 1940, and evolving over time.  The Green Lantern Corps is a federation assigned to police the 3,600 sectors in the universe, overseen by an ancient race of immortals called the Guardians, who reside on the planet Oa.  Most Lanterns are aliens, but of the six Earthbound members in DC Comics' history (Alan Scott, Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Raynor and Jade), Hal is arguably the most popular.
In 1959, writer John Broome and artist Gil Kane created Hal Jordan under the guidance of editor Julius Schwartz, reintroducing the character of Green Lantern to the world in Showcase #22, and earning their own title, Green Lantern, the following year.  Unlike his more mystically bent predecessor, this new Green Lantern was a little more "sci-fi" as a member of an intergalactic police force comprised of numerous alien species, each with a ring that gave them extraordinary mental and physical abilities.  Broome and Kane also created several of the main characters in Hal's life who appear in the film, including Carol Ferris and Tom Kalmaku, and some of Hal's family members.
After many years away from the Corps, Hal was brought back in 2005 by writer Geoff Johns and artist Ethan van Sciver, in the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth and in the subsequent ongoing title.  Their work reignited an interest in the comic that had been missing for some time, and garnered them both critical and commerical success.
Johns, a self-described hardcore comic book fan since his youth and a co-producer on the film, felt the re-launch was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.  "Prior to Green Lantern: Rebirth, Hal Jordan was actually dead and buried and the Green Lantern Corps was no more.  There was only one ring left," he says.  "When I took on the book, I really wanted to bring back the epic tales of Green Lantern and the Corps, and their role in the greater DC universe at large."
As the readership grew, Johns decided to go back and tell Hal's story "from an emotional point of view, and in a modern-day context."  The result was 2008's publication Green Lantern: Secret Origin.  "I created a storyline for new readers that related what made Hal who he is and how he became a member of the Corps."
At the same time that Johns was penning Origin, the filmmakers were developing the motion picture, with Johns' previous writings providing a good deal of inspiration.
"Our film is the Hal Jordan origin story," De Line says.  "In telling it, we wanted to be faithful and true to the spirit and the canon of Green Lantern, and Geoff's body of work provided an ideal place to start."
Just starting at the beginning, however, was not the only task at hand for writers Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Michael Green.  "Unlike Superman or Batman, who most people are familiar with, Green Lantern isn't part of the everyday vernacular…yet," Green smiles.  "We wanted to hold the audience's hand and guide them as they got to meet this great character and see a place like Oa for the first time."
Guggenheim was equally motivated.  "I'm a huge comics fan going all the way back to before I could even read, and Green Lantern was one of the books I grew up with.  He's the first superhero I can remember, and he always remained a cool and provocative character for me.  I couldn't wait to bring his story to the screen."
"What I find so unique about Green Lantern is that his abilities ultimately depend on the power of his imagination," screenwriter Michael Goldenberg says.  "Maybe it's because I'm a writer, but there's just something incredibly attractive about that."
Something else the writers found enticing about the project was the copious amount of research it required.  "The most fun homework you could ever have--sitting around reading comics all day," Green enthuses.
Crafting the screenplay, the writers had to delve into decades' worth of adventures.  Says Guggenheim, "We had to be like archaeologists of the mythos and draw out what we thought was the best tale to tell."
"What was most important to everyone was to show on the page the genuine respect we feel for the source material," echoes Goldenberg.
Berlanti, too, felt the responsibility of bringing this particular character, with his specific abilities, to life.
"When you have a character with the power to make real anything he can conceive of, to literally whip up anything that comes to mind, you have to make it thrilling," he acknowledges, "and more and more so as the story goes on.  I believe that, between what we came up with and what Martin and the actors and the effects teams have done with it, it should make for a pretty fun ride for audiences."

"Everyone pushed themselves to the limit because we knew that, being the first Green Lantern movie, we wanted to exceed our own ambitions for the film and, at the same time, satisfy the fans who have been waiting so long for their favorite hero to come to the screen," Greg Berlanti says.  "And we knew if we did our job right, the movie would produce new Green Lantern fans around the world."
"There's a reason we all love superheroes so much," Ryan Reynolds says.  "They're inspiring and they do these unbelievable things, but in many ways, they're just like us.  I remember seeing 'Superman' with my dad, and I spent the next few years wishing I was Superman.  That's a feeling you never forget.  And now, I really get to say, 'I am Green Lantern.'   Pretty incredible."
Donald De Line states, "The audience will enter a whole new world when they see this movie.  It will take them from Earth all the way to the center of the universe and back.  With big action, a great story and fascinating characters, it's pure entertainment."
Martin Campbell concludes.  "Green Lantern is a fantastic hero who was made to be seen in a way that's larger than life.  The story is involving and emotional, not to mention very funny.  It's everything we wanted it to be, and we believe audiences will think so, too."

"WE ARE THE CORPS!!!"   --The Green Lantern Corps
Just as Hal Jordan is chosen as the first human to wear the ring, Ryan Reynolds, as the first actor to bring Green Lantern to the big screen, knew he'd have an entire legion of fans looking to him to live up to the oath.  He didn't let the parallels get to him as he relished playing the dual role of irreverent, high-flying Hal Jordan and his superhero-in-training counterpart.  Read more

FLIGHT AND FIGHT TRAINING
As a test pilot, flying is a big part of Hal Jordan's life.  As Green Lantern, it's even bigger--and better.
"I know that going up in a fighter jet sounds pretty phenomenal, but I have a deep fear of flying," Ryan Reynolds confesses.  "So in that respect, I was sort of shadowing Hal's story by having really no choice but to overcome my fear.". Read more

DESIGNING LANTERN
As with every superhero movie, the "Green Lantern" filmmakers knew that the fans' greatest concern was likely to be the visual representation of the world they know and love from the comics.   Read more

THE TEAM
MARTIN CAMPBELL (Director) most recently directed "The Edge of Darkness," starring Mel Gibson, and the James Bond adventure "Casino Royale," a critical tour de force and box-office smash that successfully introduced Daniel Craig in the role of Bond. Prior to that, he re-teamed with Antonio Banderas on "The Legend of Zorro," the sequel to their 1998 hit "The Mask of Zorro," which starred Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones and earned Academy Award® and Golden Globe nominations.
A native of New Zealand, Campbell began his career in London as a cameraman for Lew Grade's ATV company. He went on to produce the controversial British feature "Scum" as well as "Black Joy," which was selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. He made his directorial debut on the British police action series "The Professionals," and continued with the popular BBC series "Shoestring" and Thames TV's "Minder." Considered one of the UK's top directors by the mid 1980s, he helmed the highly praised British telefilm "Reilly: Ace of Spies" as well as "Edge of Darkness," a critically acclaimed BBC miniseries that won six BAFTA Awards, including a Best Series win for Campbell, and inspired the feature film.
Campbell's first Hollywood movie was "Criminal Law." He went on to direct "Defenseless" and "No Escape" and, in 1995, directed Pierce Brosnan in his first outing as famed British spy James Bond in "GoldenEye." Campbell was credited with rejuvenating the franchise and the movie grossed more than $350 million worldwide. In 2000, he directed and produced the mountaineering action adventure "Vertical Limit," which was critically well received and earned over $200 million worldwide.
Some of Campbell's additional American credits include HBO's "Cast a Deadly Spell" and two episodes of NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street." He also directed the epic romance "Beyond Borders," starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen.
Campbell's upcoming film projects include the crime drama "36" and the action film "Green Lantern."

GREG BERLANTI (Producer/Screenwriter) most recently directed "Life as We Know It," starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.
Berlanti made his film directorial debut in 2000 with "The Broken Hearts Club," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
As a writer, director and producer, he is the force behind several of the most inventive and acclaimed works on television. Currently, Berlanti serves as an executive producer on the ABC drama "Brothers & Sisters." He also co-created and will produce the upcoming ABC television show "No Ordinary Family."
Previously, Berlanti executive produced the ABC series "Dirty Sexy Money." He also served as an executive producer, co-creator and writer on ABC's "Eli Stone," for which he was nominated for a WGA Award. Berlanti started in television as a writer and executive producer on "Dawson's Creek" before going on to create and executive produce two of The WB's most critically acclaimed dramas--"Everwood" and "Jack & Bobby."

MARC GUGGENHEIM (Screenwriter) is both a comicbook scribe (for Marvel Comics, Oni Press and DC Comics) and a film/TV writer (for such shows as "The Practice," "Law & Order," "CSI: Miami," and "Brothers & Sisters," among others) who, along with fellow "Green Lantern" screenwriter Greg Berlanti, created the TV series "Eli Stone. The comedy-drama about a San Francisco lawyer, afflicted with a life threatening disease, who takes future cases on moral, not monetary, merit, earned the pair a WGA nomination for its pilot episode.
Before scripting his own career change, the Long Island, N.Y., native worked in Boston as a lawyer. With an added interest in writing, he penned a romantic comedy spec script that led to interest in his work. He made the move west to pursue his newfound craft, with "The Practice," ABC's long-running legal drama show, marking his first professional writing job.
As his Hollywood career flourished, he went on to serve as a writer/producer for "Law & Order," "Jack & Bobby" (where he first met colleague Berlanti), "CSI: Miami" and "In Justice," also serving in various producer capacities on these programs. Most recently, he scripted and executive produced several episodes of ABC's new fantasy-drama series "FlashForward" and, with Berlanti, executive produced the new ABC pilot "No Ordinary Family," which stars Michael Chiklis as the patriarch of a family with superpowers.
On the comicbook scene, Guggenheim served as an intern for then editor Terry Kavanagh at Marvel in 1990, coloring an eight page "Iceman/Human Torch" story while there. His comicbook writings also include the character of "Aquaman" for DC Comics, "Wolverine" and "The Punisher" for Marvel, and twelve issues of "Blade" with artist Howard Chaykin.
In 2006, Guggenheim took over the writing duties for DC's "The Flash," which concluded with the death of the fourth Flash, Bart Allen. At the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Guggenheim would be one of the rotating team of writers on "Amazing Spider-Man," where his first story appeared in issue #546. He also launched a creator-owned comic, "Resurrection," for Oni Press.
More recently, he wrote the comicbook "Young X-Men" for Marvel, which was launched in April, 2008; scripted the 2009 video game "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," based on the film of the same name, for which he received a 2009 WGA nomination for Best Videogame Writing; and just adapted Stephen King's novel N into a comicbook format, a recent and successful trend in the publishing world.

MICHAEL GREEN (Screenwriter) is a longtime writing partner with fellow "Green Lantern" scribes Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim. The Mamaroneck, N.Y., native landed his first writing job on the award-winning HBO series "Sex and the City." The show's breakout success launched Green onto the writing staffs of numerous network television shows including "Cupid," "Smallville," "Everwood," (created by Berlanti), and "Jack & Bobby," where he met fellow scribes Berlanti and Guggenheim. This was followed by his work as a writer and co-executive producer on NBC's Emmy-nominated "Heroes" (for which Green shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series, and a Writers Guild nomination for New Series, both for the 2006 season). Green was also the creator and executive producer of NBC's recent drama series "Kings," which starred Ian McShane and was based on the biblical story of King David set in an alternate present. In addition to his contributions to the script for "Green Lantern," Green is a frequent contributor to DC Comics, the author of the graphic novel Batman: Lovers and Madmen, and has been a regular writer for their ongoing comic series Superman/Batman.

MICHAEL GOLDENBERG (Screenwriter) is the only screenwriter besides Steve Kloves to have penned one of the Harry Potter films, that being the fifth in the series, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." He began his film career as the writer-director of the 1996 romantic drama "Bed of Roses," starring Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson, then immediately followed with the script for the Robert Zemeckis sci-fi drama "Contact" (based on Carl Sagan's novel), for which he earned a Humanitas Prize nomination. He also scripted P.J. Hogan's 2003 reworking of the J.M. Barrie classic, "Peter Pan." He most recently contributed to the script for Spike Jonze's adaptation of the classic Maurice Sendak children's tale, "Where the Wild Things Are."
A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Goldenberg began his career as a playwright. His works include the musical "Down the Stream," which was workshopped in New York at the Vineyard Theater, and for which he received the Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His other stage plays include "Elizabeth's Gift" and "Interpretation of Dreams," the film rights of which have been purchased by veteran producer Chuck Gordon.

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