Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof has apologized for previously saying that the word “Green” in “Green Lantern” was “stupid”, as debate swirls over the upcoming DCU TV series.
Last year, the former Lost mastermind appeared on the Lovett or Leave It podcast where he discussed the decision to omit “Green” from Lanterns’ title. “It’s called Lanterns, because we all agreed that the ‘Green’ was stupid, so now it’s just Lanterns,” the writer-director joked at the time.
Now, the comments have made a resurgence on social media amid discussion over the forthcoming show, which is set to debut via HBO this summer. Recent peeks at the show have focused on its grounded elements and featured very little green — restarting a year-old discourse about whether Lindelof’s work would properly honors the popular comics.
This weekend, Green Lantern comic writer Grant Morrison decided to give his thoughts on erasing the pivotal color from the equation.
“TV writer/producer Damon Lindelof’s comments notwithstanding, the ‘Green’ in ‘Green Lantern(s)’ is not ‘stupid.’ Why does a writer attach himself to this kind of narrative if he thinks it’s fundamentally ‘stupid’?” the celebrated writer questioned via his Substack this past weekend. “What is this jockish dismissal of superhero conventions intended to prove anyway? … The only people who give a f*** about the Lanterns TV series are Green Lantern fans. Why alienate them at the start? That feels more like ‘stupid.’”
Lindelof then responded to Morrison, apologizing to him and Green Lantern fans the world over. “I have upset Grant Morrison, which means I have now pissed off MOST of the brilliant British/Scottish comics writers that I grew up idolizing,” Lindelof said on Instagram today. “To quote the bard (Otis Redding), this is nobody’s fault but mine.”
He added, “I made a dumb joke on a comedy podcast. I’m not going to bob and weave about context, the joke was dumb, the fandom is not. I owe them an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings.” Plus, Lindelof included an old photo of himself in a green Green Lantern shirt to hammer his thoughts home.
“The very first time I appeared on a ComicCon panel was for the Lost pilot, back in the summer of 2004. I wore my favorite T-shirt as I had long grown out of my favorite underoos, those being the uniform of Hal Jordan, Green Lantern of Sector 2814,” he continued. “For a quiet, uncoordinated kid, there was nothing cooler than a hero whose superpower was his imagination. And green is not stupid, it is my lifelong favorite color and I have a questionnaire that I filled out in third grade to prove it. Green is fucking awesome.
“More importantly, it would be a betrayal to everyone I worked for and alongside to say anything other than I was absolutely honored to be a part of the team that manifested the incredible construct that is Lanterns… because it was,” Lindelof concluded. “I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John, and the entire Corps. I can and will do better to be worthy of the oath, Lindelof concluded. “Until then, I’ll let the show speak for itself and I can’t wait for you all to hear what it has to say.”
Both the first teaser trailer and the recent new trailer for Lanterns were more bland looking than fans expected and mostly devoid of green… and anything even vaguely superhero-y, as was the original first look image debuted last February. Here’s hoping we see another trailer for the project soon, one that undoubtedly will feature at least some serious green throughout.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
