‘Didn’t work out, but that’s okay’: Josh Brolin confirms a DC rumor that would make Ryan Reynolds plotz, and that’s not even his biggest tease

Josh Brolin is bona fide comic book movie royalty. The 56-year-old actor — who made a name for himself in the 1980s with roles in the likes of The Goonies (1985), Thrashin’ (1986), Finish Line (1989), and television’s Private Eye and The Young Riders — is a veteran of the superhero genre.

His superhero credits include Jonah Hex (2010), in which he played the eponymous character, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019), in which he played Thanos, and Deadpool 2 (2018), in which he played Cable. Most recently, he reprised his role as Thanos in two episodes of Marvel Studios’ animated series What If…?

He’s been linked to a role in James Gunn’s DC Universe recently, in HBO’s Lanterns, a television show focusing on DC Comics’ longstanding and incredibly popular Green Lantern Corps. Specifically, Brolin has been touted to play an older version of prominent Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan — a character previously played by his Deadpool 2 co-star Ryan Reynolds in 2011’s much-maligned Green Lantern movie. Interestingly, it was a prospect many fans weren’t keen on for some reason (Brolin would have been superb in the role, by the way).

However, that won’t be happening — something that will likely irk Reynolds, who would have loved to see his pal play a character he’d previously portrayed — as Brolin confirmed in a recent interview with ComicBook.com.

What happened regarding Josh Brolin and Lanterns?

While discussing his role alongside Peter Dinklage in the new action comedy movie Brothers, Brolin revealed that he had been in discussions with DC to play Jordan, but the exciting casting ultimately isn’t happening.

Brolin said, “You know what? Green Lantern didn’t work out, but that’s okay.” The actor then addressed the fact that Kyle Chandler is set to take on the role of Jordan, saying, “It’s working out. Who is it going to be, Kyle Chandler? I love him as an actor, I think he’s wonderful, actually. And, you know, we’ll see what’s down the line, man.”

That last line should excite us all because it teasingly leaves the door open for Brolin to play someone else in James Gunn’s DC Universe, which is a massively exciting possibility. It will undoubtedly create speculation about which hero or villain he could portray (we know he can nail both) — and should Brolin land a role in the DCU, it’ll make him one of the most prolific superhero actors ever.

Brolin’s current confirmed projects include the aforementioned Brothers on Oct. 10, Wake Up Dead Man, the mystery movie sequel to Knives Out in 2025, and the epic horror movie Weapons in 2026. You should be excited about them all because they look fantastic.