John Diggle, a popular character from the Arrow series, was initially set to become the Green Lantern within the Arrowverse. Despite multiple setups and hints throughout the show, actor David Ramsey never donned the Green Lantern suit or ring following the end of Arrow. Recently, Marc Guggenheim, co-creator of Arrow, unveiled concept art featuring the scrapped designs for Diggle’s Green Lantern suits, giving fans a glimpse of what might have been.
Unveiling Canceled John Diggle Green Lantern Suit Concept Art
The concept of John Diggle becoming Green Lantern was introduced in Arrow, and there were expectations of him debuting as the hero in the series finale. Although this transformation did not occur, Marc Guggenheim revealed concept art illustrating the potential live-action suit designs.
In a recent LegalDispatch publication titled “Coast-to-Coast”, Guggenheim shared concept art of John Diggle’s Green Lantern suits. According to Guggenheim, these designs were ultimately not approved by the decision-makers at DC.
Guggenheim mentioned that there were substantial plans for Diggle’s transition into Green Lantern, but they never materialized. The higher authorities at DC did not permit the Arrowverse to explore Green Lantern’s mythology with John Diggle’s character. Guggenheim explained:
“Unfortunately, we never got the approval to go full ‘Green Lantern’ with Diggle, but we were always trying to push the envelope as much as possible.”
Back in 2020, Guggenheim disclosed in an Entertainment Weekly interview that Warner Bros. and DC had halted the development of Diggle’s Green Lantern storyline. He elaborated on the discussions and agreements with DC Entertainment:
“This was something that was worked out over a year ahead with DC Entertainment. We very specifically negotiated and discussed the parameters, and I feel like to say anything beyond what we have shown you would violate our agreement with DC.”
During this period, Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti was also developing a separate Green Lantern series for HBO Max (now MAX), and a Green Lantern Corps movie was in progress for the DCEU. These projects likely contributed to the decision to not proceed with Diggle’s Green Lantern storyline in the Arrowverse.
Wrapping Up
Despite high hopes and elaborate plans, John Diggle’s Green Lantern journey never came to fruition in the Arrowverse. The newly revealed concept art, however, provides fans with an idea of what could have been.
