20 Film Franchises That Were Cancelled After One Movie

17. Green Lantern

Flash Gordon
Warner Bros.

The DC superhero Green Lantern may not be as well-known as Batman or Superman, but the character's constantly evolving lore has allowed him to become one of the most celebrated comic book characters ever. Because the stories have a staggering cast, it seemed like the perfect film to launch a franchise. Martin Campbell, who successfully revitalised the James Bond series twice, was put in charge of the Green Lantern film adaptation, which made moviegoers feel like the property was in very safe hands.

But it wasn't meant to be. The story was insultingly simplified, the CGI was garish, the performances were forgettable, and the comedy was trite. Also, some of the plotholes were too obvious to ignore. (How were Carol Ferris and Hector Hammond classmates when he's nearly twice her age?)

The star, Ryan Reynolds, hated his experience on Green Lantern so much, he was glad when the sequel was cancelled and didn't watch the film for ten years.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows