(Image Source: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Some fans may recall that Christopher McQuarrie, director of "Mission: Impossible" installments 5 through 8, years ago confirmed he had developed "a version" of a "Man of Steel" sequel with Henry Cavill. He had even conceived a "Green Lantern Corps" film, but he stated Warner Bros. Pictures was uninterested at the time, preferring to hire him to revise existing internal scripts, so the ideas weren't further developed.
While recently promoting "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One," McQuarrie was again asked about these past discussions during an interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, where he revealed more details about his initial concepts.
McQuarrie first joked that he would never disclose the entire plot of the "Man of Steel" sequel, but he could guarantee the concept was fantastic, and that Green Lantern would make an appearance. McQuarrie noted that crafting Green Lantern was the trickiest part because his powers are so immense. Therefore, it was crucial to establish limitations on his strength, giving his abilities some flaws, such as his ring being like a battery that would deplete and require regular recharging.
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McQuarrie went on to say that the commonality between Superman and Green Lantern is that they are both characters with incredibly powerful abilities. Cavill was also aware of this, and together they worked to solve this challenge. The two even leveraged the shared traits of Superman and Green Lantern to create conflict between them, thereby expanding the DC Universe. McQuarrie also described how his envisioned opening would be similar to the beginning of Pixar's "Up," using five minutes with no dialogue to explain Superman's motivations and his greatest fears, presenting an epic origin prologue through a minimalist approach.
(Image Source: Warner Bros. Pictures)
McQuarrie also analyzed Superman's core spirit: "Superman represents hope, he represents inspiration, he represents the joy that comes with him. I don't think you have to live in the shadow of Richard Donner's "Superman" and John Williams' score, but while respecting other versions, you also have to acknowledge that Donner's version captured the heart of the character more than any other. The problem with Superman is that creators are always trying to set increasingly larger obstacles for this character with infinite power, but Donner understood that Superman's biggest obstacle was himself, and perhaps Green Lantern. Folks, the secret to making them good has always been there, those secrets have always been lying there, waiting for someone to utilize them."