Taika Waititi had a supporting role in 2011 comic blockbuster Green Lantern, but what does the comic filmmaker think of the final product?

What does Green Lantern co-star Taika Waititi think about the infamous 2011 blockbuster? Ryan Reynolds has starred in many comic book movie adaptations, but he had mixed fortunes with the genre before 2016's Deadpool. 2004's Blade: Trinity was the third installment of that action-horror property, but various behind-the-scenes woes - including star Wesley Snipes' behavior on the set - made the end product messy. Deadpool was also a dream project for Reynolds, but his first time playing Wade/Deadpool in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, was so poor that the eventual Deadpool movie poked fun at it.

Green Lantern was meant to be the movie that cemented Reynolds' stardom, with the film based on one of DC's most popular heroes. The movie was meant to kick off a franchise and featured an excellent director in Casino Royale's Martin Campbell - who now regrets making Green Lantern - but sadly, the resulting product failed to engage audiences or critics. It was also a financial disappointment, with Reynolds vocally stating his displeasure in the movie following its release. In fact, the actor taking shots at Green Lantern has become something of a running gag in recent years, with the ending of Deadpool 2 even featuring the titular anti-hero going back in time and killing Ryan Reynolds before he can make it.

Taika Waititi's career as an actor and filmmaker has taken off in a major way following 2017's Thor: Ragnarok, and he appeared alongside Reynolds in 2021's Free Guy. Waititi has never been above poking fun at himself or his work, which includes a supporting role in Green Lantern as Thomas Kalmaku, Hal Jordan's friend. While promoting the easter egg-filled Free Guy in a 2019 promo video, Reynolds and Waitiki pretended they'd never worked together before and denied even knowing what Green Lantern was. Needless to say, Green Lantern's Taika Waititi isn't a big fan of the movie either.

However, just like Reynolds, Taika Waititi has chosen to have a sense of humor about Green Lantern's reception. Speaking with Total Film in 2019, he stated "I find it really funny that I did that film. The thing is, it’s like when people shy away from things, and they don’t want to admit they’ve done something, or they don’t ever reference it, I find it worse." Waititi is of the opinion that actors or filmmakers who are part of a lambasted project should embrace or joke about them, claiming "Because if you pretend it never happened, then it makes it kind of weird and uncomfortable for everyone."

The failings of Green Lantern had little to do with Taika Waititi's work on the movie either, and its failure did little to harm his career. Maybe Waititi will turn around on the film someday too, as Reynolds' stance on Green Lantern softened somewhat when he rewatched it, stating while the movie was far from perfect it wasn't the "tragedy" he'd always feared it was either. It's doubtful he'd appear in a Taika Waititi helmed Green Lantern sequel or reboot, however.

Next: Why Deadpool's First Disney Appearance Breaks His Own Timeline