Nathan Fillion Talks Being Cast as Green Lantern in SUPERMAN and His Character's Flaws
In the early days of the casting of James Gunn’s Superman, we learned that Nathan Fillion was going to be playing the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern.
This is pretty perfect casting and during a recent interview with Collider, Fillion shared the story of when he found out he landed the role, and also what attracted him to the flawed superhero.
Fillion shared: “We were actually at the premiere party after Suicide Squad, and he was in a huge crowd of people. We saw each other in the crowd, and I congratulated him, ‘Oh, my God, that was amazing.”
He continued: “It’s so great.’ He goes, ‘Hey, did Peter [Safran] tell you what we’ve got for you next?’ I said, ‘No, he hasn’t said.’ He looked around like someone was gonna be listening. We were in a throng of people, but he leaned over and said, ‘You’re gonna be Guy Gardner.’”
The actor went on to talk about how he was drawn to the complex, unconventional persona of Gardner that contrasts with the traditionally heroic Man of Steel.
He said: “The reality is that people have flaws. We all have quirks. We all have vulnerabilities. You could have the most wonderful family but be like, ‘Oh, my God, my dad drives me nuts. He’s got this one thing.’
“Everybody’s got something, and I love to lean into those faults and flaws. It’s what makes people real and what allows audiences to relate because we all know what that is. We all have our own.
“We witness it in other people. Guy Gardner is 90% flawed and doesn’t care. That’s one of his flaws. I think there’s a real freedom in playing that. So, for a guy who likes to play flaws and flawed people, Guy Gardner is a gold mine.”
It’s going to be so much fun to watch Fillion play Green Lantern and I hope that he actually has a decent sized role in the Superman story and that he’s not just a throwaway character.
Superman will tell the story of “Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned.”
Superman also stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman; Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane; Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl; Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mr. Terrific; Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen; María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica, aka The Engineer; Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher; and Terence Rosemore as Otis.
Superman is scheduled for a theatrical release on July 11, 2025.