Tyrese Gibson sure does like talking about Green Lantern. It’s a definite change of pace from Marvel Studios who really dislike when their actors talk about roles before officially signing. Hell, online chatter said Asa Butterfield was the front-runner for Spider-Man until he went on social media and starting talking about it. However, this isn’t Marvel, and Tyrese is openly campaigning for the role of John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps.
Speaking to Collider, he had this to say about the role:
“I’ve already had a couple of meetings at Warner Bros., so we’ll see what happens. I do believe that there needs to be more black superheroes out there, but that’s not even my motivation. I think I would be the best Green Lantern and based on my fans and supporters that spent around $6 billion in box office receipts, I feel like there’s a fanbase of fans out there waiting to see me put on this green suit and do my thing. So I would love to confirm something today but I can’t. We’ll just keep following up.”
Wow, he really does think he’s an A-list star, huh? First, I don’t claim to be the biggest Fast and Furious fan, but I’m pretty sure if you named the most important actors involved in that series, Tyrese ranks around 10th [Editor’s Note: I love Tyrese in the Fast films and 2 Fast 2 Furious may be my favorite of the franchise ~ Brad]. As far as Transformers goes, the other franchise that contributed to his “$6 billion” at the box office, he is ranked around 15th most important character in the film, firmly behind every robot and John Turturro. So, at this point, I’m going to go out on a limb and say there’s probably some monetary negotiating that is keeping this deal at a standstill.
I still don’t believe Tyrese would be the best actor for John Stewart. The humor he brings to his roles just doesn’t fit with the character. I also don’t believe he’s the box office draw he thinks he is. So, if I’m Warner Bros., I would be looking to find the best actor for the role, and not be held hostage by the idea of needing an A-lister to bring in fans. Ryan Reynolds has proven simply having a “big” name actor doesn’t make for a good Green Lantern.
Guardians of the Galaxy has shown there’s an audience for superheroes in space, and that film had the once-chubby guy from “Parks and Recreation” leading the way. I hope Warner Bros. knows this, and we won’t see Tyrese’s name attached to the film, but that’s just me… maybe you disagree?
Green Lantern Corps. is scheduled to release June 19, 2020.
