Superman: Nathan Fillion Talks Green Lantern Casting, Teases Character Flaws

The DCU‘s new Green Lantern actor, Nathan Fillion, reveals how he was attracted to the flawed superhero in James Gunn‘s Superman.

In an interview with Collider, Fillion recounted the moment when Gunn offered him the part of Guy Gardner/Green Lantern in the upcoming reboot for DC Studios.

“We were actually at the premiere party after Suicide Squad, and he was in a huge crowd of people,” Fillion recalled. “We saw each other in the crowd, and I congratulated him, ‘Oh, my God, that was amazing. It’s so great.’ He goes, ‘Hey, did Peter [Safran] tell you what we’ve got for you next?’ I said, ‘No, he hasn’t said.’ He looked around like someone was gonna be listening. We were in a throng of people, but he leaned over and said, ‘You’re gonna be Guy Gardner.’”

Fillion’s Gardner marks the second big-screen iteration of Green Lantern since Ryan Reynolds‘ version as Hal Jordan in the underwhelming 2011 movie. Best known for his work on the television shows Firefly, Castle, and The Rookie, Fillion was drawn to the complex, unconventional persona of Gardner that contrasts with the traditionally heroic Man of Steel.

“The reality is that people have flaws,” Fillion said. “We all have quirks. We all have vulnerabilities. You could have the most wonderful family but be like, ‘Oh, my God, my dad drives me nuts. He’s got this one thing.’ Everybody’s got something, and I love to lean into those faults and flaws. It’s what makes people real and what allows audiences to relate because we all know what that is. We all have our own. We witness it in other people. Guy Gardner is 90% flawed and doesn’t care. That’s one of his flaws. I think there’s a real freedom in playing that. So, for a guy who likes to play flaws and flawed people, Guy Gardner is a gold mine.”

Who stars in James Gunn’s Superman?

As the first installment of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU under DC Studios, Superman sees Clark Kent diving time between the Daily Planet and his duties as a superhero while having to reconcile his Kryptonian roots. Superman stars David Corenswet as the titular Man of Steel, while Rachel Brosnahan will play Lois Lane. Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Lex Luthor, Sara Sampaio is playing Eve Teschmacher, and Skyler Gisondo is playing Jimmy Olsen. Additional cast includes Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner.

Superman is scheduled for release on July 11, 2025.