Ryan Reynolds Was Asked If He’d Cameo in Lanterns & He Does Not Hold Back

September 3, 2026, 9:40am

15 years ago, Ryan Reynolds starred as the DC hero Green Lantern in a 2011 movie that famously did not perform well. Green Lantern was both a box office and critical flop, with a dismal 25% critic score and only slightly better 45% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Obviously, Reynolds’ superhero days weren’t over, as he ultimately transitioned away from DC and into Marvel, starring in the significantly more successful movie Deadpool in 2016, which went on to have two successful sequels, Deadpool 2 in 2018 and Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024 (and it’s likely we haven’t seen the last of Reynolds’ Deadpool in the MCU, although he is reportedly not in Avengers: Doomsday despite wanting to be).

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Reynolds has honestly always seemed to take it on the chin when it comes to Green Lantern’s failure, openly agreeing about its various flaws and weaknesses without coming across as complaining about it—actually, he has at many points thanked the movie, at the very least, for introducing him to his wife, Blake Lively. However, it would have seemed safe to assume that this was at least in some way a touchy subject for him, which makes his recent comments about the brand-new DCU show Lanterns and his thoughts on potentially having a cameo in the series all the more shocking.

Ryan Reynolds Gives Overwhelmingly Positive Response to Lanterns Cameo Question

Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Reynolds was asked if he would be open to a cameo in Lanterns, and he not only confirmed that he would be interested but also spoke very highly about his experience making Green Lantern and what it has continued to mean to him. Specifically, Reynolds said, “I would totally do a cameo in that. I love it. I mean, you know, I learned so much making that movie. And I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, ‘Oh, learned what not to do.’ In some, in part, yes, but also that any time you’re making something that large, there are core lessons that come of it, and I owe my entire career to that movie. I owe everything to that…Everything about it was like a gift that keeps on giving, and I really enjoyed the experience of making it.”

Clearly, Reynolds is entirely open to the possibility of such a cameo, so now the question remains: Could Reynolds actually be asked to make some sort of appearance in the show? It honestly would make sense, especially considering that cameos such as this one are basically standard practice for superhero shows and movies at this point. In fact, in Reynolds’ own most recent Deadpool movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, Chris Evans had a very similar cameo, reprising his role as Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) for a brief and absolutely hilarious scene that was actually Reynolds’ idea, according to Evans. There’s little doubt that fans would also get a kick out of seeing Reynolds in the show, so now it’s just a waiting game to see whether that will happen.