HBO Max's 'Green Lantern': Why Diane Guerrero and Lee Majdoub as Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz are perfect leads
The 'Green Lantern' series being developed by Greg Berlanti is one of the most exciting titles announced for the HBO Max streaming service. And we have an idea about who should play the lead characters. While there have been many Green Lanterns in the comics, the two heroes who we think should lead the series are the latest of the batch: Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. And the fans already have actors in mind for the roles.
There are three main reasons why these two would be perfect for the show. Firstly, as relatively new characters they haven't had the degree of exposure that someone like Hal Jordan or John Stewart has received. Secondly, there's the diversity factor. Jessica is both Mexican-American and Honduran-American and suffers from anxiety, a unique condition for a Green Lantern to face, while Simon is a Lebanese-American and a Muslim.
While those are all important, the main reason why we want these two is because of the actors that the fans would like to play them. If the fans have their way, we would have Diane Guerrero ('Doom Patrol') and Lee Majdoub ('The 100') in the lead roles.
Guerrero threw her name in the ring during a Twitter takeover of the official 'Doom Patrol' account on June 13. "Jessica Cruz, Green Lantern! That's my next DC character, just to put it out there... DG," she tweeted. Fun fact, Guerrero has actually played the character once already, in the 2019 DC animated film 'Justice League vs The Fatal Five'. And the fans think the great voice acting she did there, combined with her skill as an actor, make her a shoo-in for the role.
"One of my favorite DC characters, period. Loved how you played her in JL," one fan wrote on Twitter. "I 100% support this. You've played her before and you'd be great as her in live-action as well! Stan Jessica Cruz," another fan tweeted. Yet another fan declared that "We ALL want that" and we have to agree that they are right. Jessica is one of the most complex characters DC has ever had and Guerrero is an excellent actor so this really does sound like a perfect fit.
In the same discussion, fans started speculating who should play Simon Baz, who is Jessica's partner in the comics, and it's almost unanimous that it should be Lee Majdoub. "Lee Majdoub would be good for him ngl," one fan tweeted while another wrote, "I f***ing co-sign this heavily." This fan-casting does make a lot of sense as Majdoub is also an accomplished actor. Plus, as a Lebanese-American himself, Majdoub has a close enough background to Simon to be able to do justice to the character.
Of course, it's unlikely that we'll be getting any new details about the 'Green Lantern' series for a while unless HBO Max chooses to do a surprise reveal during Comic-Con@Home. The event which is being held from July 22 will feature a lot of announcements and reveals so we're going to be waiting with our fingers crossed.
The 'Green Lantern' series doesn't have a release date yet but it is expected to arrive in either late 2021 or early 2022.