Mark Strong On Sinestro And What Went Wrong With 'Green Lantern'

From MTV

With "Man of Steel" soaring into theaters this year and a "Justice League" movie in the works, it seems like the DC Cinematic Universe is finally ready to compete with Marvel Studios. But it's equally likely that DC's previously-established properties won't be connected to the "Justice League" film in any way; speaking, of course, about Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy and the box office flop that was "Green Lantern."

"I really like 'Green Lantern,'" says Mark Strong (who played Sinestro) in a recent interview with MTV Splash Page. "I don’t have a problem with it at all. But it just didn’t seem to do anything at the box office or it didn’t do what they were hoping it would do at the box office. I think that more than anything, economics, dictates whether or not they make another one."

"I think it’s a real shame," Strong continues. "I loved making 'Green Lantern' and I loved playing Sinestro and I was really excited about the direction that he was going to take in the second one."

For those of you who don't remember or have never seen the film, during the end credits of "Green Lantern," Sinestro happens upon a yellow power ring which quite obviously sets up the beginnings of a Sinestro Corps story-arc for the sequel.

"A lot of people seemed to be confused by him putting on the ring at the end of the movie," ponders Strong on the reasons for "Green Lantern's" failure to perform at the box office. "They felt that it came out of nowhere. All it was, during the credits, there was a sequence which was a nod to where the trilogy was intending to head to. It wasn’t ever meant to be part of the story of the first film."

In the comic books, Sinestro (who was once one of the greatest members of the Green Lantern Corps and Hal Jordan's mentor) eventually dons a yellow power ring forged by the Weaponers of Qward after being banished to an antimatter universe by the Green Lantern Guardians. Sinestro is now the most prominent enemy of the entire Green Lantern Corps and has since created his very own Sinestro Corps comprised of the most feared beings in the entire universe.

"I would be surprised if they made a second one because I’ve heard nothing about it in quite a while now," Strong explains. "What that standalone moment was intended to relate to was where the movies were headed and that, for me, would have been very exciting because the putting on of the ring and the whole suit turning yellow would have been great fun."