At least it seems like it. As late as a week and a half ago when we told you that Tim Robbins was cast in Green Lantern, Mark Strong was still only attached to or “in talks” to be the film’s Sinestro. According to Geoff Johns’ twitter feed (for most of you who wouldn’t know, Johns is the current writer of the Green Lantern title, and essentially is DC proper’s franchise player in print) it looks like it’s all official, and we now have our self-proclaimed (and probable) greatest Green Lantern. Strong is at worst damn solid, who is not at all lacking in villain roles, though it seems like we might not see that Sinestro yet (at least completely–possibly the hook for a second movie?), as Hector Hammond seems more in line as the antagonist this time around. Perhaps we will get the first stages of Sinestro’s fall in this one.
Strong joins a cast that already includes Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan (the Silver Age Green GL who will be the focus of this film), Blake Lively, and possibly Peter Sarsgaard in the Martin Campbell directed film. The casting of Strong finalizes an odd journey for the role of Sinestro that at one point had Jackie Earle Haley rumored to fill the ring, which was later squashed by the actor himself.
I want to once again highly recommend the last couple of years of Green Lantern which leads into the current Blackest Night. ever since John’s and Ethan Van Sciver’s work on Rebirth – with a few hiccups – the titles has been as consistently good as any comic from either of the Big II–and especially a SF fan’s dream. Green Lantern is shooting for a June 17, 2011 release.
Being a huge GL fan, I am looking forward to this movie. It looks like they might be doing this right. If the hires are any example. I have high hopes.
Mark Strong is a great actor.