Why Josh Brolin Turned Down The Role Of Hal Jordan In HBO's Lanterns

For Josh Brolin, playing a major role in "Lanterns" might have felt too similar to an earlier "heartbreaking" moment in his career. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Brolin revealed that his choice to decline the part of Hal Jordan in "Lanterns" — a role now played by Kyle Chandler — may have been connected to his previous starring role in "Outer Range," a sci-fi Western that was canceled by Amazon after two seasons in 2024.

"'Lanterns,' I don't know, maybe it was too close [to 'Outer Range.'] I really loved 'Outer Range,'" Brolin confessed, reflecting on the cancellation that came far "too fast" for his liking. Although the similarities between "Lanterns" and "Outer Range" may have motivated Josh Brolin's decision to walk away from Hal Jordan, the actor clarified that, at the end of the day, "it was just one of those things."

"'Lanterns,' I love those actors," Brolin elaborated, adding that he was rooting for the HBO superhero series in spite of his choice to pursue different ventures. "If I decide not to do something, I never really think, 'Oh, had I done it, it could have been better,'" the actor continued.

Josh Brolin may not be wearing the Green Lantern Power Ring, but that doesn't mean he'll never grace DC fans' small screens. "Green Lantern didn't work out, but that's okay," Brolin told ComicBook in a 2024 interview, cryptically adding that "you know, we'll see what's down the line, man." Some fans suspected that Brolin's comment suggested an openness to taking on other roles in the "Lanterns" universe, even though the actor is not confirmed to be appearing in any DC projects at this time.

Brolin previously starred in the DC superhero film "Jonah Hex," which ended up a critically panned box office bomb when it hit theaters in 2010. The "Outer Range" actor was additionally in tentative talks to play Batman in Zack Snyder's DC movies — a conversation that ended after Snyder cast Ben Affleck instead. When discussing the missed opportunity on a 2022 episode of MTV's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, Brolin revealed how he would have approached the role of Batman, again hinting at an intriguing potential willingness to portray a DC character. "That was interesting to me ... It would have been the older, the more raspy [Batman], for lack of a better word," Brolin said. "Honestly, that would have been a fun deal. And maybe I'll do it when I'm 80."