Josh Brolin Explains Why He Turned Down Hal Jordan in DC’s LANTERNS and What He Thinks of the Show

Josh Brolin could have been the DCU’s Hal Jordan in HBO’s Lanterns, but the actor ultimately passed on the opportunity, leaving Kyle Chandler to take on the role of the veteran Green Lantern.

Now, Brolin has opened up about why he turned down the part, and it sounds like his experience with a previous sci-fi series played a major role in that decision.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Brolin explained that he was still frustrated by the cancellation of his Prime Video series Outer Range, which ended after two seasons despite earning strong reviews.

When asked why he passed on Lanterns, Brolin said: “I don’t know, maybe it was too close [to Outer Range]. I really loved Outer Range, and seeing what those actors — Tom Pelphrey, Lewis Pullman, Imogen Poots — have done since then makes me very happy. To me, it’s a great middle finger to those people who canceled that show. It’s like, ‘You had gold.’ So that’s how I perceive it.”

You can understand why Brolin would still be irritated. Outer Range was a pretty interesting sci-fi Western that followed a Wyoming rancher who discovers a mysterious black void on his property while fighting to protect his family and land.

The series premiered in 2022 with an eight-episode first season, followed by a seven-episode second season in 2024. While the first season earned a 79% Rotten Tomatoes score, the second jumped to 92%.

Unfortunately, those positive reviews weren't enough to save it. Prime Video lost confidence in the series, giving the second season limited promotion before canceling it. After putting so much into the show, Brolin understandably wasn't eager to jump straight into another major television commitment.

But passing on Lanterns doesn't mean Brolin has anything against the DC series. In fact, he's watched it and loved what he saw. Brolin praised the cast and said he hopes “that it’s killing it.”

Interestingly, he also talked about how casting choices can completely change a character. He pointed to Birdman, where he was considered for the role eventually played by Edward Norton. According to Brolin, his version of that character would have been very different.

He also mentioned that Matt Damon was originally attached to a role in Milk that Brolin eventually played. Again, he believes the performances would have been completely different depending on who landed the part.

That makes you wonder what Brolin's Hal Jordan might have looked like compared to Chandler's version. Both actors bring something different to their performances, and Brolin certainly has the experience and screen presence to play an older, battle-tested Green Lantern.

Still, Chandler seems to have worked out just fine. Lanterns wrapped up its first season on HBO with strong reviews and solid viewership, so Brolin passing on the role clearly didn't hurt the show.

Besides, Brolin already has quite a history with comic book movies, and there are still a couple of Marvel characters fans would love to see him revisit.

He famously played Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and rumors continue to circulate about a possible appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars. Nothing has been confirmed, but a return as the Mad Titan would be fun to see.

Then there's Cable, the time-traveling mutant he played in Deadpool 2. Brolin was great in that role, and bringing him back for another Deadpool movie or introducing him into the MCU's upcoming X-Men stories would be awesome.

Of course, Brolin's previous experience with DC wasn't exactly a winner. He starred in 2010's Jonah Hex, which remains one of the more infamous comic book movie flops. Thankfully, that didn't keep him away from the genre.

While we'll probably never know what Brolin would have brought to Hal Jordan, it sounds like he has no regrets about his decision and is happy with how Lanterns turned out.

Personally, I would've liked to see his take on the character, but Chandler has proven himself a solid choice. Plus, I'd much rather see Brolin get another shot at Cable than have that character disappear from Marvel's plans.