Television has found its latest superhero with the help of American Horror Story star Finn Wittrock.
The 36-year-old actor has been cast as the lead in a new series based on comic book legend Green Lantern for streaming platform HBO Max.
He is the first name attached to the DC Comics adaptation, according to Deadline, as Guy Gardner, one of the many Green Lantern characters that will be featured in the big-budget drama.
American Superhero Story: Finn Wittrock, 36, has been cast on a new series based on comic book legend Green Lantern for streaming platform HBO Max. He is starring as Guy Gardner, one of the many Green Lantern characters that will be featured in the big-budget drama
The character is described as ‘a hulking mass of masculinity, and, as rendered in the comics, an embodiment of 1980s hyper-patriotism. And yet, Guy is somehow likable.’
The show will reinvent the classic property through a story spanning decades and galaxies, beginning on Earth in 1941 with the very first Green Lantern, secretly gay FBI agent Alan Scott, who has yet to be cast.
It will simultaneously be set in 1984 with cocky alpha male Gardner and half-alien Bree Jarta.
The upcoming project will also feature an array of other Lanterns, some being comic book favorites while others will be never-before-seen heroes.
Hyper-patriot: The character is described as ‘a hulking mass of masculinity, and, as rendered in the comics, an embodiment of 1980s hyper-patriotism. And yet, Guy is somehow likable’
More to come; The upcoming project will also feature an array of other Lanterns, some being comic book favorites while others will be never-before-seen heroes; Finn Wittrock is seen here in 2019
The series is being produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, who are also responsible for the expansive television ‘Arrowverse,’ which includes CW hits like Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl.
Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Seth Grahame-Smith are writing the show, as well as handling executive producer duties alongside Geoff Johns, Sarah Schechter, David Madden and David Katzenberg; Elizabeth Hunter and Sara Saedi will co-executive produce.
The Guy Gardner version of the costumed hero has previously been portrayed in animation and in a 1997 live-action Justice League of America television movie by Gossip Girl veteran Matthew Settle.
Green Lantern’s only big-screen appearance came in the 2011 box office bomb starring Ryan Reynolds.
Other appearances: The Guy Gardner version of the costumed hero has previously been portrayed in animation and in a 1997 live-action Justice League of America television movie by Gossip Girl veteran Matthew Settle
Big screen flop: Green Lantern’s only big-screen appearance came in the 2011 box office bomb starring Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds has consistently bashed his own Green Lantern movie for years, taking shots at it in his Deadpool movies and on social media
Reynolds has consistently bashed his own Green Lantern movie for years, taking shots at it in his Deadpool movies and on social media.
Green Lantern earned just $219.8 million worldwide, from a massive $200 million budget during its theatrical run in 2011.
Meanwhile, Wittrock is best known for his work on the Ryan Murphy-produced horror anthology series American Horror Story.
He has starred in multiple seasons of the popular FX program, including the upcoming 10th season, for which he recently wrapped filming.
Horror star: Wittrock is best known for his work on the Ryan Murphy-produced horror anthology series American Horror Story. He has starred in multiple seasons of the popular FX program, including the upcoming 10th season, for which he recently wrapped filming
Acclaim: The Massachusetts native has received Emmy nominations for his work, as well as for his acting in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He is also the male lead in the Netflix drama series Ratched, which has been renewed for a second season
The Massachusetts native has received Emmy nominations for his work, as well as for his acting in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace.
He is also the male lead in the Netflix drama series Ratched, which has been renewed for a second season.
Sources say Berlanti’s camp had a conversation with Ryan Murphy to let Wittrock prioritize Green Lantern, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Filming of the comic book adaptation is expected to begin filming this year, with insiders telling the publication that it will be the most expensive show that Berlanti has produced in his career.
The busy actor will next be seen opposite Amanda Seyfried in A Mouthful of Air and alongside exes Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in Deep Water.