DC Reportedly Considered Tom Cruise For Hal Jordan In 2017
Back in 2017, it was rumored that Tom Cruise was the frontrunner on a shortlist for the role of Hal Jordan in the DCEU’s Green Lantern Corps. Other names on the list reportedly included Bradley Cooper and Jake Gyllenhaal. There were also considerations of perhaps bringing back Ryan Reynolds, who played Jordan in the widely-panned Green Lantern movie released in 2011.
At the time, this movie would have been connected to the ongoing movies set in the "Snyderverse". That said, Justice League had yet to be released in theaters, and its controversial release would see massive shifts in Warner Bros.'s entire release schedule for the DCEU. This included Green Lantern Corps being retooled into a streaming series for HBO Max which entered various stages of development before ultimately being canceled. However, the dawn of the new Dc Universe from James Gunn and Peter Safran means there's still a chance for Warner Bros to cast Cruise in the upcoming Lanterns series.
Why Tom Cruise Would Be The Perfect Older Hal Jordan
Consisting of eight episodes, HBO has described Lanterns with the following plot tease:
"The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland."
Keeping that in mind, the implication is that Lanterns’ Hal Jordan will be older, an accomplished member of the Green Lanterns by the start of the show who’s been tasked with training the younger Stewart while they investigate some new crisis on Earth. That sounds an awful lot like Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, a decorated test pilot who’s called back in to train the next generation. It’s also worth noting that DC’s Hal Jordan was also a test pilot before he was chosen to join the Corps. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Hal Jordan have so much in common that Tom Cruise taking on the DC role feels like a no-brainer, especially since the series will more than likely lead to future film appearances and connections to the greater DCU. It’s also worth noting that Cruise recently signed a deal with Warner Bros. to produce and star in various pieces of original and franchise content for the studio. As such, the opportunity for WB to finally cast Cruise in a DC movie and have him wear a power ring feels more attainable than ever before.
