Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds (yum) as Hal Jordan, the swaggering, yet talented pilot who is bestowed with the power of the ring, was just released in theaters. Although some Miami residents flock to superhero blockbusters every summer without ever having so much as seen the inside of a comic book store, there is a lot of back story, not only to the characters in the film, but to the making of the film itself.
Cue Ozzy Inguano, a writer, producer, lifelong movie geek, and a former Hurricane, worked in storyboarding for Green Lantern as well as Sam Raimi's Spiderman trilogy. His first book, Constructing Green Lantern: From Page to Screen provides comic book geeks and novices alike, a behind the scenes, in-depth look into the making of Green Lantern.
This local boy will be signing copies of the book at Books & Books tomorrow, but took time out of his hectic schedule to answer a few questions for us.
New Times: What was your purpose in putting together Constructing Green Lantern: From Page to Screen?
Ozzy Inguanzo: I wanted to give readers an insider's perspective behind the filmmaking process and share the
story behind the creative process, the aesthetic choices, and the collaboration behind a motion
picture comic book adaptation. And give them a peek at some of the amazing concept artwork
and storyboards created for the film.
Is the book something for fan boys and girls, or will non-geeks enjoy it too?
I think the reason the book has had such positive reactions is its ability to transcend the comic
book fanbase, not only because of the eye-popping visuals, but because it's about the creative
process and the people behind it.
On your list of favorite superheroes, where does Green Lantern fall from one to ten?
I would describe myself more as a movie geek than a comic book geek. Although I read a few
comics as a kid, I was never an avid reader of them, just an average kid with a few Spiderman
and X-Men comics. My appreciation of comics comes from their illustrative nature rooted in
visual storytelling, very much like cinema.
Are you looking forward to The Avengers?
I always look forward to fun, escapist films. In fact some of crew from Green Lantern is on The
Avengers!
What was your favorite aspect of working on Green Lantern, the movie?
One of my favorite aspects of working on Green Lantern for over a year and a half was
collaborating with such a talented group of filmmakers, designers, and artists. Our production
designer Grant Major, and costume designer Ngila Dickson, did The Lord of the Rings, and
our director Martin Campbell did Casino Royale, so from the standpoint of a movie geek that
was pretty neat.
On the assumption that comic book superheroes are real, if you could be one of them for a day,
which one would you choose?
I wouldn't mind having a Green Lantern ring.
Inguanzo will be signing copies of Constructing Green Lantern: From Page to Screen at Books & Books (265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables) tomorrow at 5 p.m. The event is free. No word yet if decoder rings will be handed out or whether or not you should expect radioactive spiders.
