Christopher McQuarrie, the guy behind Mission: Impossible – Fallout and Top Gun: Maverick, spilled some juicy details on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about a Man of Steel sequel he pitched that would’ve thrown Green Lantern into the mix with Henry Cavill’s Superman. Teaming up with Cavill, McQuarrie cooked up what he called a “f—ing good” idea for the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), but Warner Bros. passed on it. Still, his vision sounds like the kind of bold, cosmic clash fans would’ve eaten up.
McQuarrie was pumped about bringing Green Lantern to the table, despite the character’s rough go in the 2011 Ryan Reynolds flop. “Green Lantern was what had come to me,” he said, diving into the tricky power set. He zeroed in on the ring’s need to recharge as a cool twist. “You have infinite power, but only so much battery life, and that can run out at the worst times,” he explained. For him, that limitation was the key to cracking Green Lantern, making the hero feel fresh and grounded, not invincible.
The pitch hinged on a big Superman-Green Lantern showdown. McQuarrie teased “amazing similarities” between the two that set up “amazing conflict” and a resolution that could’ve blown the DCEU wide open. He didn’t name-drop a specific Lantern like Hal Jordan or John Stewart, but he hinted that Superman’s raw power clashing with Green Lantern’s willpower-driven ring would’ve sparked some serious drama. Cavill’s take on Superman’s inner struggles helped shape the story, promising a mix of heart and high stakes.
McQuarrie also had a killer opening in mind, inspired by the wordless emotional punch of Pixar’s Up. “The first five minutes… was a sequence with no dialogue,” he said. “You’d know exactly what made Superman tick, what he was afraid of, and why he made his choices.” That silent, epic intro would’ve set the stage for a Superman story with real depth.
So why didn’t it happen? Warner Bros. had other plans, shifting gears to solo films like Wonder Woman and Aquaman after Batman v Superman and Justice League got mixed reactions. McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible gigs didn’t help with timing either. “Studios never care for my original ideas. They want me to fix their broken ones,” he joked, suggesting his wild vision didn’t quite fit their mold.
With James Gunn and Peter Safran now running the DC show, and a Lanterns series plus a new Superman flick due in July 2025, McQuarrie’s pitch feels like a missed shot at something special. A Superman-Green Lantern face-off, packed with cosmic vibes and real emotion, could’ve lit up the DCEU. For now, it’s just a cool “what if” that’s got fans dreaming.