Christopher McQuarrie is officially being headhunted for Green Lantern Corps.
The filmmaker behind Jack Reacher and this year’s Mission: Impossible – Fallout is said to be high on Warner’s wishlist when it comes to the Hal Jordan/John Stewart buddy cop movie, all but confirming that Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is no longer in contention to direct.
All of this has stirred excitement among DC fans, with many believing that the potential appointment of McQuarrie will lead to a big-name signing – like, say, Hollywood titan Tom Cruise. It’s certainly possible, as McQuarrie and Cruise have collaborated no less than six times on various projects. But with the former seemingly bound for the DC Extended Universe, the folks over at Nerdist (h/t Screen Rant) stipulate that Cruise may not be too far behind.
Casting the 55-year-old Tom Cruise would certainly lead to a more mature and experienced portrayal of Hal Jordan, who was originally brought to life by Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds. But this time around, Jordan is to be paired with his spacefaring ally, John Stewart, for a buddy cop movie cut from the same cloth as Guardians of the Galaxy.
So perhaps the Cruise’s seasoned Hal Jordan will be set against a younger rendition of Stewart who is a little rough around the edges? It’s a tried-and-tested recipe for success, and the fact that the Mission: Impossible actor was name-dropped on the leaked Warner Bros. shortlist – ditto for Joel McHale, Bradley Cooper, Armie Hammer and Jake Gyllenhaal, who has since been linked with The Batman – indicates that this particular casting tidbit isn’t outside the realm of possibility.
And then there’s the fact that Cruise almost clinched the role of Iron Man before it went to Tony Stark. Just think of how different the MCU would have been…
Getting back to Green Lantern Corps, though, Warner’s spinoff will purportedly settle on one of two dates: February 14th, 2020 and June 5th, 2020. All that’s left now is for McQuarrie (and potentially Cruise) to close a deal.