One can tell if the anticipation for a movie has reached peak levels when even the most tangential piece of information about its development can spark a small Internet firestorm. Such has been the case with the upcoming sequel to Man of Steel, the film still going by the placeholder name Batman vs. Superman.
In previous weeks, rumors and counter-rumors regarding various actors and characters involved with the production have flown thick about the Web. One of the most persistent involves actor Dwayne Johnson (Fast and Furious 7) speaking with DC Comics regarding a mystery role in their evolving film universe. Now, yet another tenuous rumor connects Johnson to a role previously whispered to be going to Denzel Washington – that of the Green Lantern, John Stewart.
Writer Peter Georgiu of ThinkMcFlyThink shared the rumor that Johnson is being considered for the role of John Stewart earlier today via Twitter feed:
Rumor: I didn't hear this directly, but it's floating around behind the scenes in the industry: @TheRock is up for JoHn Stewart. Shrugs.
— Peter Georgiou (@Peterg_TMT) January 2, 2014
Later, Georgiu clarified that the information is a rumor heard “… through the industry grapevine,” but is hardly confirmed. He acknowledged that the assertion is currently nebulous, but that also that the rumblings were interesting enough that he, “… thought if [he] put it out there, people would look into it.”
The rumor has been given some strength by a Tweet exchange dusted off by Comic Book Movie, in which Johnson seemed to hint at being in talks for the role of Green Lantern. Though it dates from April of 2013, scuttlebutt has apparently put Johnson in contact with DC Comics regarding an eventual film role.
Given even the initial source’s acknowledgement of this rumor’s tenuousness, it should be taken only after overturning an entire salt shaker. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting proposition that merits a bit of pondering.
John Stewart has long been characterized (in both his comic book and animated incarnations) as the most straight-laced and military-minded of the human Green Lanterns. This makes Johnson a curious choice for the role, given that a straight adaptation of the character would strip away the grinning swagger that made Johnson so compelling a ringside presence during his days in the WWE.
This is not to say that Johnson would be bad for the role – even after appearing in many mediocre films, the former wrestler remains a consistently engaging screen presence. Additionally, his recent turns as a taciturn federal agent in the Fast and Furious franchise show that he can play grim stoicism just as well as he can goofy bravado.
Until any kind of hard evidence or confirmation of this rumor floats to the surface, we at Screen Rant will treat it more as a fun thought experiment than something to worry over. Any role for The Rock in the DC film universe would be a coup – whether it’s as a heroic space cop or as an anti-heroic space bounty hunter.
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Batman vs. Superman will rock theaters on July 17th, 2015.
Source: Twitter [via Comic Book Movie]
