The Blog of OA: Mark Strong

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11/5/11

Green Lantern 2 Fan Trailer

11/05/2011

It only takes one great trailer to stir up interest in a film and get you all gung-ho to see it, or a lousy one to cross a movie off your must see list. Anyone who felt like they didn't want to see a sequel to the Green Lantern movie should take a look at this fan made teaser trailer for the great potential a second movie has by picking up on the Sinestro credits sequence and running with it. For me, all I can do it watch this, put my Blue Lantern ring on and hope the Powers That Be at Warner Brothers get the same goosebumps I do every time I a replay it. Special thanks to Blog of Oa reader Diogo Oliveira for sharing it with us on the new Blog of Oa facebook page.

SDCC Green Lantern Panel News

7/23/2011

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This morning in San Diego Geoff Johns was joined by Executive Editor Eddie Berganza, Assistant Editor Adam Schlagman, "Green Lantern Corps" writer Peter Tomasi, "Red Lanterns" artist Ed Benes, Warner Brothers writer and producer Alan Burnett and Bob Wayne for DC Comic's Green Lantern panel. The discussion included topics such as Sinestro's tenure as the new Green Lantern of Sector 2814, the Green Lantern movie and Geoff Johns' plans for how long he will be staying with the Green Lantern title.

Before starting in on the conversation about the comics Geoff Johns shared a clip from the upcoming Cartoon Network animated series. Nothing else was mentioned about the series, although during a conversation about "Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" both Alan Burnett and Geoff Johns mentioned that they are working on a project together dealing with a "very requested storyline". The obvious first thought that springs to mind is that the two are developing a Sinestro Corps War direct to dvd feature.

The Podcast of Oa Debuts!

6/20/2011

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I've been thinking about doing a podcast for a while now and with the movie's release it seemed like the perfect time to jump into it. Our first episode tackles the Green Lantern film which I recorded on June 17th with my co-host, Bill Giancoli, from Get Ur Geek on Radio. Be aware that we do go into some detail on the plot of the film, so if you have not seen it yet there is some content that may spoil parts of the film.

I have submitted the show to iTunes and the Zune Marketplace and once I have gotten confirmation that they have been added I will post the links to them. For now you can listen to the show by downloading it here or subscribing to the show's RSS feed with your favorite podcatching software. You can also list to the show right here using the player in this post.

This is our very first attempt, so if you listen to the show please leave some comments here for us so we can gauge interest and look for places to improve. As always, thanks for reading, or in this case listening!

Green Lantern Movie Review

6/17/2011

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With my self-imposed exile from the site over and some time to digest and process the film I'm ready to return here to share with you my thoughts about the Green Lantern film. I want to preface this with a little editorial and just say something right up front before diving into this review.

I really believe that people should make up their own minds about films before trusting a reviewer, whether a movie critic or someone like myself, because people bring their own predisposed opinions of the subject matter, the actors, the studio, the property, whatever to them when they sit down to watch a movie. For lack of a better statement, people should have the willpower to decide for themselves what they want to watch and not worry about what someone else thinks.

If you're not sure about laying down your money on a film and you wholly trust the opinion of someone else, do that, but I warn you that in the case of this film you will find that there hasn't been a time that people have had such polarized opinions about Green Lantern since Emerald Twilight was released. There is literally outright harsh comments being made from critics as well as fans with unreasonable expectations on one side and people claiming it's the best film of the summer on the other.

Green Lantern Press Conference Transcript

6/11/2011

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SuperHeroHype was present at the recent press conference where most of the cast and crew were assembled to take questions about the Green Lantern movie as we enter the final week before release. The conversation covered a wide range of topics from Peter Sarsgaard's makeup to the subject of sequels to comparisons to Batman and Superman. Here's the text from the entire press conference courtesy of SuperHeroHype.

Q: Martin, you brought James Bond back twice. You brought Zorro to modern screens and now you're launching this DC Comic book franchise. What's ideal for you in creating and launching new things and what things will be on the DVD?

Director Martin Campbell

Martin Campbell: Well, I'm cheap. No, no. The thing is that I've never done a comic book movie before. Superheroes, I guess, yes. Bond is a kind of a form of a superhero and Zorro, obviously, but I've never done a superhero movie before. I wasn't even versed in the comic when it came through the door. Once having read them and so forth, it just sort of fascinated me, the whole world of Green Lantern – going to another planet, going to the center of the universe. So that's really why I did it. What is it about me? These things aren't about me. These things are a huge team effort by everybody. It's always sort of handed across to the director and I'm on the guy on the floor, certainly, but Donald, my producer, a huge contribution from him as with Greg, the writer, and the actors. So, unlike a lot of movies these things are very much a team effort, and in this case particularly so.

6/11/2011

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We are on the home stretch and the publicity for the Green Lantern film has reached a fever pitch. There are so many new featurettes and interviews playing on the Internet and on television that it's hard to keep them all straight. Here are some of the highlights.

First off, Yahoo movies has a new featurette that includes comments from the cast and crew as well as Geoff Johns talking all about the scale and scope of the Green Lantern universe.

New TV Spot and Entertainment Tonight Coverage

6/09/2011

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Another TV spot has emerged, this one featuring more constructs. Watch at your own risk of being spoiled. Entertainment Tonight also featured another segment on the film with this particular clip dealing with Ryan Reynolds' diet during film-making and featuring comments from Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong.

6/09/2011

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Just like any other big budget film, the cast of Green Lantern will be making the rounds at a number of media outlets over the course of next week. Peter Sarsgaard, who play Hector Hammond, made an appearance on Conan last evening, though the interview skewed more towards Sarsgaard's personal life than promoting the film. I could not find any listing for Mark Strong, Geoffrey Rush, Martin Campbell, or Michael Clark Duncan making any appearances, but I did find one television special that will air on June 16th. Here is a list of the television appearances I have found so far. If you learn of anything I've missed, please leave a comment with the information so that other fans will know about it, too.

6/14 Today - NBC - Blake Lively
6/14 Regis and Kelly - Blake Lively
6/14 Late Show with David Letterman - CBS - Ryan Reynolds
6/15 Today - NBC - Ryan Reynolds
6/15 Regis and Kelly - Ryan Reynolds
6/15 Tonight Show with Jay Leno - NBC - Blake Lively
6/16 G4 - 8pm - Green Lantern Special with cast and crew
6/16 Conan - TBS - Ryan Reynolds (added 6/13)

6/09/2011

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There have been a bunch of new videos released on the Internet as well as tv in the final week before the release of the Green Lantern film. Here's some of the highlights, but be forewarned that some of these clips reveal previously unseen moments from the film.

From E! Online:

Two New Green Lantern Videos With New Footage and Cast and Crew Interviews

6/02/2011

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With just two weeks left before the debut of the Green Lantern film, the advertising and behind the scenes video material is showing up everywhere. Here are two more videos that show some new footage from the film and include cast and crew interviews. These are both really great.

Second Official Green Lantern Trailer Released

5/04/2011

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Warner Brother today released the second official theatrical trailer for Green Lantern, continuing to fuel the buzz for the June 17th film following poor response to the original trailer that debuted in front of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 last November. Since the showing of ten minutes of footage at Cinemacon at the end of March and Wondercon days later there has been a lot of enthusiasm building for the film with the Internet release of a four minute version of that footage and numerous television spots.

This new trailer has been said to be preceding this Friday's launch of the Thor movie, but free pre-screenings of that film have not included the Green Lantern trailer. However, that could be simply due to the trailer not being avaiable to theaters yet for inclusion. The new theatrical trailer should continue to keep fans' power ring charged with just forty three days remaining before Green Lantern's official release.

The new trailer features the first glimpses of the Guardians of the Universe and the first time we've heard Michael Clarke Duncan's voiceover work as Kilowog. It also features confirmation that what will become the Sinestro Corp logo is indeed present when Parallax is released and more from Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard who haven't gotten much focus until recently. All I can say is that anyone who had doubts shouldn't any longer!

Green Lantern is directed by Martin Campbell and stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Mark Strong, Peter Sarsgaard, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Clarke Duncan, Tim Robbins and Angela Bassett.

Green Lantern Movie Takes to the Air With Two TV Spots

4/03/2011

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Hot on the heels of the stunning Green Lantern movie footage that Warner Brothers released on the Internet and at WonderCon, two television spots have begun airing around the country, going far to undo any damage done to the movie with the lukewarm reception that fans in general had with the film's first trailer last November. The two ads combine footage from the original trailer and the newly release video as well as some brief clips not seen before.

Some fans had become cynical about the film with an apparent lack of a studio push in recent weeks as promotional images and trailers from many of the other films competing for the summer box office appeared on an almost daily basis. This new onslaught of impressive footage is perhaps the first wave of a Green Lantern advertising campaign that will ensure that no one is unaware that no evil is escaping our sight on June 17th.

There are a couple of new things in this footage that stands out, the first of which is the footage showing Hector Hammond putting the ring on. Also we see Hal getting thrown into a car.

It looks like Hal lost something

4/03/2011

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After what seems like an eternity Green Lantern fans have something to really get excited about as more polished images and footage have been released by Warner Brothers to kick the advertising for the movie into high gear. The ten minutes of footage shown at CinemaCon were shown at the Green Lantern panel at WonderCon this past weekend followed by the studio released a high resolution image of the film's official movie poster and four minutes of the footage shown at WonderCon on the Internet.

What amounts to an extended length trailer has turned a lot of anxiety created by the first trailer last November into full blown geek excitement. Besides the fact that yesterday was my wife's birthday and she takes priority before writing for the site, I found myself in a position where I couldn't focus on putting words on the screen for an article. So before I start talking about it, if you haven't seen the footage yet, here it is:

Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strong Talk Green Lantern Visuals

3/27/2011

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Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan, Blake Lively as Carol Ferris

March 28th kicks off the annual CinemaCon (formerly ShoWest) at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, a convention put together by the National Association of Theater Owners. The convention is often used as a jump-start for the summer movie season with many product presentations and early screenings of movies that theater owners hope will bring audiences to their local cineplex. Awards are also given out acknowledging the starts of today and tomorrow who have an impact on the film industry and this year they are honoring Ryan Reynolds as their "Male Star of the Year".

Variety spoke with Reynolds about the upcoming Green Lantern movie, observing that while he plays the titular character, he considers his role to be a small part of the overall film.

"On a movie that's coming out on a size and scale like this, you realize how insignificant the actor is. I'm an important cog in a very large machine. I was on a greenscreen stage with a hundred other crew members, and it's those people whose efforts created what will later be known as the film."

Green Lantern to Begin Scoring in Two Weeks

3/26/2011

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Beethoven's got willpower

There hasn't been much news regarding the status of the upcoming Green Lantern film other than the movie previews in recent issues of the main Green Lantern title. With no movie posters hanging in theaters, no new trailer, and the rumors that the release date may be pushed back, there is an air of anxiety about the movie. Especially when the fan reaction to the recent Captain America trailer seems so strong and the only official news we are getting about Green Lantern comes from the merchandising of the film. However there are a couple of pieces of information out there if you look hard enough for them.

Award winning composer James Newton Howard is set to begin scoring of the movie sometime over the next two weeks. Howard is well known for his work on motion pictures like The Sixth Sense, The Dark Knight and I Am Legend. Stuart M. Thomas, who frequently co-produces with Howard, recently tweeted a few comments about their upcoming project and the image of Beethoven with a Green Lantern mask was confirmed to have been taken in Howard's room. Thomas has made a couple of comments on the immensity of the score and that he the visuals "look amazing." According to Thomas there was a sound effects and music meeting this morning including another proclamation that the "film is looking and sounding awesome."

Geoff Johns commented during this weekend's Megacon that the rumor of a second trailer airing in front of Sucker Punch was just that, a rumor, but that a second trailer is coming soon. He has seen a rough cut of the film and says that Kilowog looks incredible and Mark Strong's performance as Sinestro really steals the show. With over one hundred special effects houses working on the post production for the film it seems like the race is on to get the film done with less than ninety days left, but no one connected to the film seems concerned. There will likely be a lot of information forthcoming with the strong presence the movie will have at WonderCon and I'd be less than surprised to see a second trailer shown there.

Green Lantern Figures Show New Designs for Familiar Characters

3/13/2011

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Since ceasing publication Wizard magazine has relaunched as an all digital publication with the second issue just hitting the web. One of the features it this issue highlights a number of the Green Lantern movie figures and the images continue to show how the movies design artists are re-imagining a number of the classic members of the Green Lantern Corps. Some of the designs, like Isamot Kol, look really great, while others are real departures from how fans have come to know them.

Green Lantern 63 Review with Movie Concept Art

3/03/2011

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The start of the War of the Green Lanterns is upon us with this week's 63rd issue of Geoff Johns run on the main Green Lantern title. This prologue to the next big green event lines up nicely with some of my speculation for what is to come in the month's ahead while revealing at long last the events that led to the massacre of Sector 666. While there's some redefining of what we have come to know about the history of the universe and the time line may be a little blurry, I'm certain that this story arc will redefine the Green Lantern mythos for years to come.

The Story -

A billion years ago the Maltusan Krona is confronted by his friend Ganthet about his research into origins of the universe, long held to be the event which spawned the creation of the Multiverse, the birth of evil and what ultimately led to the Maltusans dedication to making up for Krona's deeds by creating the Green Lantern Corps. Krona's motivations for wanting to see the birth of the universe stem from wanting to see the origin of the emotional spectrum in hopes of learning the secrets of harnessing their power. His fellow Maltusans, now the Guardians of the Universe, do not agree with Krona's desire to use emotion, rather they feel that it is only by suppressing emotion and letting intellect rule that they can bring order to the universe. With Krona's unwillingness to join the Guardians they and their Manhunters seek to apprehend the rogue scientist.

Green Lantern 60 Review

12/16/2010

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The end of last month's issue of Green Lantern left Hal Jordan faced with a Parallax infused Barry Allen and our mysterious entity-napper. This week's release of Green Lantern #60 picks up where we left off and by the end the identity of our diminutive new antagonist is revealed - and this one may leave your scratching your head! As a bonus we get our second installment of the Green Lantern movie preview - this time the spotlight is on Sinestro as will be portrayed by Mark Strong.

The Story -

Before the story picks up we see Hal summing up what's been going on in the Green Lantern corner of the DC Universe over the past six weeks (in their time). While it's not needed for regular readers of the book, for anyone new to the title it's not a bad way to bring people up to speed with what's happened since Blackest Night and establish that Hal's motives are simply to get the emotional entities off the Earth where they cannot possess anyone.

More Green Lantern News From New York

10/09/2010

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Late this afternoon Geoff Johns, Pete Tomasi, Tony Bedard and the whole Green Lantern franchise creative team held the New York Comic Con version of the "Emerald Empire" panel, where more tidbits and hints of what we can look forward to in the coming months were revealed. New DC exclusive artist Tyler Kirkham was on the panel as the new artist for the Green Lantern Corps title, replacing Ardian Syaf, who of late hasn't had the quality that he had when his run began. Kirkham is well known for his work at Top Cow and on Marvel's Ultimate Fantastic Four book.

In the Corps title we'll be seeing a lot more of the Weaponer of Qward, who initially thought he was doing something good in creating Sinestro's ring, with the results of arming Sinestro providing the Weaponer with a strong reason to seek revenge. Bedard also said that Kyle Rayner and Sinestro will have a fight in an upcoming issue that takes place during a Halloween event in Greenwich Village. Bedard also has some plans for John Stewart, commenting that the character has an untapped potential.

Reynolds Continues to Field Green Lantern Questions While Promoting "Buried"

9/26/2010

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With every interview and press junket that Ryan Reynolds does to promote his new film, "Buried", come more questions being directed his way about Green Lantern. We can only hope that he doesn't get tired of the seemingly endless attention being given the upcoming movie before the actual promotion for the film starts.

In talking about the character of Hal Jordan, Reynolds said, "He's a character whose superpowers, will and imagination is almost limitless. With most superheroes there is a limit to what they can do, but with the Green Lantern there really isn't, and I think above all the scope is what's going to separate it from the herd, if-you-will. It's so huge. I play the Green Lantern, but I might be the tiniest cog in that machine."

The Canadian actor certainly seems humble about how much of this film is riding on shoulders and how important he is to the pending success of this entire new tentpole franchise for Warner Brothers and DC Entertainment. He is, however, quick to heap praise on both director Martin Campbell and co-star Mark Strong.