Nathan Fillion was long rumored to play Green Lantern in live-action, thanks to his many animated appearances as Hal Jordan. But in James Gunn’s Superman, he’s actually going to be playing a different member of the Green Lantern Corps, hot-headed jerk Guy Gardner. Not only will Fillion appear as Guy in Superman, he’ll reprise the role in the upcoming Lanterns series, and Peacemaker season two as well. So we’re about to get a lot of Guy on our screens. On a recent DC Studios Showcase podcast (via Comic Book), Fillion revealed his inspiration for playing Guy. And it comes from an unlikely source — Sophia Petrillo from The Golden Girls, played by the great Estelle Getty. Here’s what he had to say:
You know, I took my inspiration from the oldest cast member from Golden Girls, where she just, whatever she wanted to say, just there was no filter. She just said it. Thank you, Estelle Getty. Thank you. Just whatever it is, there it is, he’s just gonna say it. Part of his origin was he was at one point hit by a bus, and was in a coma. So I just say that’s the thing that flipped the switch. That’s the thing that caused a little bit of brain damage. Now he’s just…off a little bit.
At first, it may seem like a weird comparison. But the more we think about it, the more it makes sense. Everyone who ever watched The Golden Girls loves Sophia, but she makes rude comments and has no tact. But we all love her anyway. So yes, a lot like Guy. We can see where the former Firefly and Castle star made the connection. But does that make his Justice Gang cohorts Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho into Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose? We kind of hope so.
We also appreciate that Fillion is drawing from the comic book origins of Guy Gardner for inspiration. In his original appearances, he was as stalwart and polite as any Green Lantern from Earth. But a head injury caused a personality shift, and that’s the version who became a fan-favorite, as the insufferable jerk from Justice League International. We can’t wait to see how his version of Guy plays against Superman, and traditional Lanterns like Hal Jordan and John Stewart. We’re ready for our Guy Gardner renaissance.
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