Geoff Johns Says Green Lantern Corps ‘Can’t Just Be DC’s Guardians of the Galaxy‘

Geoff Johns spoke at San Diego Comic-Con about his plans for Green Lantern Corps film and why it can’t just try to ape Marvel’s space success. Collider spoke with Johns, who is writing the film after his lengthy run writing the comics, and discussed why he can’t simply try to copy what Guardians of the Galaxy did.

“I agree in both a similar way and a very different way, too, because you can’t be just ‘it’s DC’s Guardians of the Galaxy,'” Johns said. “Because James Gunn did such a great job on that, but you got to look at it like… I don’t want to get into it, either.”

He went on to say, “I think you look at everything – this is when I do comics, too – you look at everything that worked and didn’t work, on anything. Like revamping a character, reintroducing a character, I’ve done it a lot. The creative kind of viewpoint and way into the character and rebooting and changing it and reintroducing it, is informed by everything. It’s informed by comics and both what works and what doesn’t work. I don’t wanna spoil any of the story there, but if people liked my run on Green Lantern, then hopefully they’ll like what I’m doing. I’m taking everything into account. That’s what you do. You are not starting from ground zero and going ‘I’m going to tell a story about this.’ It’s connected to everything, animation and comics and zeitgeist and other movies. There is a lot to take in and then redirect, and I am trying to do what I did on the comics in a way, do a rebirth.”

“What do you do to try and reintroduce a concept and a group of characters and make it – this applies to everything I work on – but as a writer, and that’s what I really wanted to get back to, is being the writer, when I do my comics I feel I have more control over the minutae, because the minutae it does matter. All those little choices add up to something good or something that doesn’t work. Part of the reason I want to get back into the writing of it all is because I want to form that minutia myself.”

When asked about the 2011 Green Lantern film, John was diplomatic, but did have some thoughts about the costumes. “I look at what they did with those suits. Look, I have so many opinions that I won’t say..In my head, a tangible suit is cooler, an enhanced tangible suit is better,” he said. “But it’s really going to be about where we are in the director and everything else, and that’s a question, we get a great script, and we get a great director, and they want to make the movie and then [we’ll see].” What do you think about these remarks? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section down below.