The scrapped movie: "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" creator Robert Smigel was hired by Warner Bros. in 2004 to write a "Green Lantern" comedy script with Jack Black in the title role.
Yes, you read that correctly. If it sounds too absurd to be true, you're not alone: fans had a meltdown when news broke that this was in the works, and Warner Bros. quickly flushed it.
The movie would have been about a Green Lantern power ring malfunctioning and choosing a reality TV star to be Earth's Green Lantern.
Vanity Fair interviewed Smigel in 2011 when the actual "Green Lantern" movie starring Ryan Reynolds was released, and he understood the backlash: "I’m a huge Peanuts fan, so if I heard they were doing a new Peanuts with Jack Black as Charlie Brown, I'd be mad, too. And I'd be twice as mad if I heard I was writing it."
In Smigel's defense, there have been many Green Lanterns in the comic books, and some have been more ridiculous than others. Guy Gardner, for instance, is a wise-cracking, hot-headed loser, which is a point Smigel makes in his interview with Vanity Fair.
Smigel said that Warner Bros. execs suddenly changed their minds and just "wanted to do a serious Green Lantern."
The actual movie: Their version of "serious" must have meant funny guy and future "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, who they probably felt could crack a joke like Jack Black but pull off the superhero charm to match.
The results weren't great. "Green Lantern" made just $220 million worldwide and was met with poor reviews (it has a rotten 26% on Rotten Tomatoes). The movie made it hard for future "Green Lantern" movies to succeed, and Warner Bros. didn't even bother including the character in its "Justice League" movie.
The studio has a "Green Lantern Corps" movie planned for its DC Extended Universe written by David S. Goyer, but no substantial details have been revealed.