Moonlight's Trevante Rhodes Skillfully Dodges Green Lantern Rumors
Fresh off of his starring role in the Best Picture-winning drama Moonlight, Trevante Rhodes is easily one of Hollywood's biggest rising stars.
The question on a lot of people's minds at the moment is what exactly Rhodes is going to do next - and what sort of franchises he will lend his talent to next. While he has already joined Shane Black's upcoming 'The Predator', fans have been campaigning to see Rhodes star in another franchise - one with a completely different alien connection.
As we reported yesterday, Rhodes is one of the leading fan-casts for Warner Bros.' upcoming Green Lantern Corps. While no official shortlist for casting has been announced, names such as Common, Sterling K. Brown, and Rhodes' Moonlight costar Mahershala Ali have been tossed around to play one of the most popular characters in the Green Latern lore, John Stewart. And after the acclaim and increased popularity of Moonlight, Rhodes is now one of the most popular suggestions for the role.
MTV's Josh Horowitz teased yesterday that he had had a conversation with Rhodes following Sunday's Academy Awards, and that the topic of Green Lantern Corps led to a "curious" response from the actor. While some had wondered if the details of the conversation would remain buried, MTV released a full video of the exchange.
When asked about the possibility of being in a superhero franchise, Rhodes chuckled and answered that it's been a dream of his for a while.
"That's everyone's dream. Whenever you're a child, you're like 'I wanna be a superhero!' You know? So in that regard, that's something that's really enticing."
This hasn't been the first time that Rhodes' name has been on the shortlist for a DCEU project. He was previously rumored to be in the running to play Black Manta in James Wan's Aquaman, but the role ultimately went to The Get Down's Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
If Rhodes had in fact been on the shortlist to join Aquaman, it might have conflicted with his role in the The Predator, both of which are currently in production. This would explain why Rhodes is in the running for another DCEU role, as Green Lantern Corps is still in the early stages of development and would allow him to take other projects in the meantime.
This sort of casting situation isn't a first for the DCEU. Chris Pine was rumored to have been offered two DCEU roles, ultimately opting to play Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman instead of a future role as the original Green Lantern, Hal Jordan. A similar situation seems to have also occurred with one of the DCEU's most recent additions, Nicole Kidman, who will now play Atlanna in the upcoming Aquaman after previously being in the running to play Hippolyta in Wonder Woman. (Coincidentally, both Pine and Kidman starred in two of Moonlight's Best Picture competitors, Hell or High Water and Lion, respectively.)
Rhodes also added that anchoring a big-budget superhero franchise would help bring audiences to his more independent projects as well. "It puts my face in front of more people, who will want to come and see a movie like Moonlight."
So could Rhodes really be stepping into the green leotard to play John Stewart? If the interview with MTV is any indication, he seems to know something about the matter. When directly asked about Green Lantern Corps, Rhodes smiled coyly and repeatedly responded with "I don't know."
Would you like to see Rhodes cast as John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps? And how excited are you for that particular DC Extended Universe movie? Let us know by rating your anticipation below!
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