Despite a disappointing performance at the box office ($154 million worldwide so far on a $200 million budget) and a lousy fan response, Warner Bros film group President Jeff Robinov has revealed that studio executives are looking to quickly green light a sequel to this summers Green Lantern. In an interview with the LA Times, Robinov admitted that the sequel would need to be;
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.
At one point Warner Bros were excited about Green Lantern and they truly believed they were birthing a new character who could have Superman-esque popularity. Indeed, Green Lantern ended with a post credits tease for a sequel which would feature a more villainous turn for Mark Strongs Sinestro, as per the characters comic arc. Its no real surprise to learn then, that Warner Bros. already have an outline prepared for the sequel written by the same team behind the original, Greg Berlanti, Michael Green, and Marc Guggenheim which they have been working on since all the way back to last August when the movie was still filming.Despite Warner Bros. plans to move forward with a sequel, it would appear that WB execs would prefer a change of director after reportedly being unhappy with the work of Casino Royale helmer Martin Campbell. The main stumbling block here however could be that Campbell insisted on an option for any future Lantern sequels in his contract. With DC Comics currently trailing behind Marvel in the film development stakes, Warner Bros. are keen to push forward more superhero movies. With The Dark Knight Rises coming next year and Zack Snyder'sMan Of Steel expected in 2013. Robinov has indicated that the studio has a solid script for The Flash which could in turn lead to the green light being given to a live-action Justice League movie featuring, at the very least, Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and The Flash. But as far as JLA and The Flash goes it's all if's, but's and maybe's. Last we heard Warner Bros wanted to reboot the DC Universe on film with a brand new Justice League that would have no relation to Chris Nolan's trilogy or Man of Steel... but WB don't really seem to have a plan or a direction and are working on the fly. Someone needs to grab the company by the balls and tell them to get their act together before DC on film ends up being a decade behind the ever building Marvel film universe.