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5 Shocking Ways Blake Lively's Green Lantern Flop Became Her Biggest Win (The Star Sapphire Legacy)

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The 2011 DC Comics film Green Lantern is universally remembered as a critical and box-office disappointment, but for actress Blake Lively, the movie’s legacy is anything but a failure. For over a decade, the film has been a running joke in Hollywood, most notably for its poor CGI and convoluted plot, yet it remains the single most important project of Lively’s career. As of late 2024 and heading into 2025, the film continues to resurface in pop culture, not just as the origin story of her relationship with Ryan Reynolds, but also due to subtle connections with her new projects, proving its enduring, albeit unconventional, impact.

The true story of Blake Lively’s involvement goes far deeper than a simple meet-cute. Her casting as Carol Ferris, the fierce test pilot and Hal Jordan's (Ryan Reynolds) love interest, was meant to launch a major superhero franchise, setting the stage for one of DC’s most complex anti-heroines: Star Sapphire. The unfulfilled potential of that role, combined with the real-life romance that blossomed on set, transforms Green Lantern from a flop into a fascinating, high-stakes moment in cinematic history.

Blake Lively: Biography and Carol Ferris Profile

Blake Ellender Lively is an American actress, model, and entrepreneur, best known for her roles in television and film. Her career trajectory took a significant turn when she was cast in the DC Extended Universe attempt.

  • Full Name: Blake Ellender Lively
  • Date of Birth: August 25, 1987
  • Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
  • Spouse: Ryan Reynolds (m. 2012)
  • Children: Four daughters (James, Inez, Betty, and a fourth child whose name has not been publicly confirmed)
  • Breakthrough Role: Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl (2007–2012)
  • Major Film Roles: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), The Town (2010), Green Lantern (2011), The Age of Adaline (2015), A Simple Favor (2018), It Ends With Us (2024)
  • Role in Green Lantern: Carol Ferris, the Vice President of Ferris Aircraft and Hal Jordan's childhood sweetheart and boss.
  • Comic Book Counterpart: Carol Ferris is one of the most prominent love interests for Hal Jordan and eventually becomes the host for the Star Sapphire, a powerful member of the Star Sapphire Corps, which draws power from the violet light of love and compassion.

The Five Unexpected Legacies of Blake Lively's Green Lantern

While the film itself, directed by Martin Campbell, failed to resonate with critics or audiences, its impact on pop culture and Blake Lively’s personal life is undeniable. Here are the most significant ways the 2011 movie continues to shape her career and public persona today.

1. The Billion-Dollar Love Story: Meeting Ryan Reynolds

The most famous and enduring legacy of Green Lantern is that it served as the birthplace of one of Hollywood’s most beloved power couples. Ryan Reynolds, who played the lead, Hal Jordan, met Blake Lively, his on-screen love interest, Carol Ferris, during the film’s production in 2010.

At the time, both actors were in other relationships: Reynolds was married to Scarlett Johansson, and Lively was dating Penn Badgley, her co-star from Gossip Girl.

Their romance began later, in 2011, after they were both single. Reynolds famously described their first date—a double date where they were with other people—as "the most awkward date for the respective partners." Their friendship quickly turned romantic, leading to their marriage in 2012 and the birth of their four children. The failure of the film is now a constant, playful source of mockery between the couple, a private joke that has become public domain.

2. The Unfulfilled Star Sapphire Potential

For comic book fans, Blake Lively’s casting as Carol Ferris carried the heavy expectation of her eventual transformation into Star Sapphire. Star Sapphire is a powerful figure in the DC cosmos, wielding the violet power ring of the Zamarons, which harnesses the emotional spectrum of love.

The 2011 film laid the groundwork for this transformation. Lively herself discussed the possibility of her character's "evil alter ego" appearing in a sequel during the film's promotional tour.

She was enthusiastic about the character's complexity, noting that Carol Ferris was a formidable, strong-willed test pilot who was "somewhat superior to Hal Jordan" in her professional life. However, the film’s failure meant the planned sequels, which would have featured Carol Ferris as Star Sapphire, were immediately scrapped. This leaves Lively with the unique distinction of having played a major DC character whose arc was permanently truncated by the film’s poor reception.

3. The 'It Ends With Us' Dance Scene Connection (2024/2025)

In a surprising twist of recent pop culture relevance, Lively’s upcoming film, the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel It Ends With Us (2024), has drawn direct comparisons back to Green Lantern.

Fans and media outlets noted that a dance scene between Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, and her co-star Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us almost identically echoes a disputed dance scene between Carol Ferris and Hal Jordan in the 2011 superhero flick.

This accidental visual parallel highlights how deeply the Green Lantern set experience—where she met her husband—is woven into her life and even her new work. It serves as a fresh reminder in 2025 that the film is not just a relic, but a constant, if subtle, part of her ongoing narrative.

4. A Masterclass in Handling a Critical Failure

The critical reception of Green Lantern was brutal. The film currently holds a dismal 26% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many criticisms aimed at the script, the villain Parallax, and the heavy reliance on CGI, particularly Ryan Reynolds' computer-generated suit.

While Ryan Reynolds has spent years openly mocking the film—even famously shooting his *Green Lantern* character in the head in a Deadpool 2 post-credits scene—Blake Lively has maintained a more subtle, diplomatic stance.

Industry insiders at the time defended Lively, suggesting the film's poor reception would not affect her star potential, attributing the failure to larger studio issues and a flawed script. By marrying the lead actor and pivoting her career to successful non-superhero roles like The Age of Adaline and A Simple Favor, Lively effectively neutralized the career damage that often follows a high-profile flop, turning a professional setback into a personal triumph.

5. The DC Universe Reboot and Recasting Debate

The failure of Green Lantern led to the eventual DC Universe (DCU) reboot, and now, the character of Carol Ferris is set to be reintroduced in the upcoming HBO Max series Lanterns.

The news of a new actress replacing Blake Lively as Carol Ferris has sparked debate among fans, once again bringing Lively’s original portrayal back into the spotlight.

This recasting highlights the cyclical nature of superhero franchises and solidifies Lively's status as the "original" live-action Carol Ferris of the modern DC era. Her performance, which was noted by critics as a strong portrayal of a capable, independent woman, is now a benchmark against which all future iterations will be judged, ensuring her legacy in the DC cinematic history books, even if the film is considered a misstep. The upcoming Lanterns series, focusing on a detective-style story with two Green Lanterns, is a direct result of the lessons learned from the 2011 film's over-ambition and failure to focus.

Conclusion: From Flop to Foundational Moment

The 2011 film Green Lantern remains a fascinating case study in Hollywood. It was a massive financial and critical misfire, yet it’s impossible to discuss Blake Lively’s life or career without acknowledging its central role. She was cast as a powerful DC heroine, Carol Ferris, with the potential to become the cosmic powerhouse Star Sapphire, but the film’s failure prevented that arc from ever being realized on screen.

Ultimately, the biggest win for Blake Lively was not the superhero franchise she was promised, but the family she found. The film is now a cherished, if ridiculed, chapter in her and Ryan Reynolds’ personal history, a foundational moment that launched a billion-dollar life and a career that has since flourished, proving that sometimes, the biggest professional failures can lead to the greatest personal successes.

blake lively green lantern
blake lively green lantern

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