I am – Hercules!!
Abin Sur, the iconic dying alien from whom Hal Jordan gets his Green Lantern power ring, has been cast, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Sur, who is bald and bright magenta in the funnybooks, will be played in “Green Lantern” by Temuera Morrison (“Couples Retreat”), the New Zealander who embodied every one of the treacherous clones in the “Star Wars” prequels. Also joining the cast according to the paper is Taika Waititi, who will play Jordan’s “best friend.” I assume they’re talking about Thomas Kalmaku, the Jimmy Olson-ish Ferris Aircraft engineer who came to learn that Jordan and the Green Lantern are the same guy. Waititi, longtime associate of “Flight of the Conchords” star and fellow New Zealander Jemaine Clement, directed Clement in the feature “Eagle Vs. Shark” as well as two episodes of HBO’s “Conchords.” Previously cast are Ryan Reynolds (“Wolverine”) as the title character, Blake Lively (the “Traveling Pants” movies) as love interest Carol Ferris, Mark Strong (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Kick-Ass”) as power-craving Lantern Sinestro, Peter Sarsgaard (“An Education”) as big-brained villain Hector Hammond, and Tim Robbins (“City of Ember”) as Hammond’s senator father. Director Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale,” “Edge of Darkness”) begins principal photography on “Green Lantern” this month, working from a screenplay draft by Michael Goldenberg (“Contact,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”). Warner Bros. is looking to release the live-action feature June 17, 2011. Find all of the Reporter’s exclusive on the matter here.