Ryan Reynolds has a penchant for making jokes about his 2011 Green Lantern movie, whether it’s in his Deadpool films or during press appearances. It’s clear that he has a bit of fun poking fun at the movie’s failure, but the director of Green Lantern, Martin Campbell, takes it all in stride.
Campbell, who’s known for directing Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro, and the upcoming action thriller Cleaner, doesn’t take Reynolds’ jokes personally. In a recent conversation with Polygon, Campbell shared, “He’s got every right to. The film flopped. I mean, it’s just that.”
Released to scathing reviews, Green Lantern barely broke even against its $200 million budget, marking a significant turning point for Warner Bros. They had hoped the film would be the launchpad for a new DC Universe, but the poor reception led to a cancellation of the sequel and a shift in focus toward Man of Steel. Nearly a decade later, the character is slowly making a return with Nathan Fillion playing Guy Gardner in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie and a new HBO series Lanterns featuring Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler.
Despite the movie’s struggles, Reynolds has often joked about it, but he did take a more thoughtful approach in 2021, when he acknowledged that, on reflection, the film wasn’t as bad as its reception suggested. He even praised the “incredible work” from the crew and noted that it was where he met his wife, Blake Lively. Campbell agrees with that take, pointing out that even flawed projects can have positives.
“It doesn’t bug me at all,” Campbell said. “We all worked bloody hard on it and so forth. I love working with him and I love working with Blake Lively. No problems. Everything was great, but the film flopped. And it was a great success for him because he met her.”
However, Campbell did express one regret when reflecting on what could have changed the film’s fate. “I wish to God he had written the script,” Campbell said. “He could have done a great job.”
