Popverse's top stories of the day

• Superman is free to fly into international theaters as federal judge denies efforts by Superman co-creator estate to challenge release of the movie
• MEMBERS ONLY: Popverse Jump: An often overlooked part of Berserk is how accurately it depicts swordfighting - I would know; I used to teach it
• WATCH NOW: From Starship Troopers to Batgirl & SAW, Dina Meyer dishes on her favorite roles - and her favorite song to dance to

It’s been more than a decade since Ryan Reynolds slipped on the ring to take the lead as DC’s Green Lantern in the 2011 movie of the same name. And, although the movie flopped hard, it was the start of a journey that made Reynolds into the success he is today — and not just because his Deadpool is pretty much the opposite of everything Hal Jordan was in that earlier movie.

“I learned all the most amazing lessons in the creative space I could ever have from that movie,” Reynolds said during an appearance at the Time 100 Summit. “A lot of people, when they talk about things, they frame it like a TED Talk or something, where it’s like, ‘I knew at the time, I realized I was internalizing these ideas,’ but I didn’t. I couldn’t have told you at the time, this is what it is. But too much money and too much time wrecks creativity. Just murders it. Constraint is the greatest creative tool you could possibly have.”

For anyone wondering: the budget of Green Lantern was $200 million dollars, and it took three years to go from screenplay to theaters. (That’s not counting the years of earlier attempts to bring the hero to the screen.)

During the time making Green Lantern, Reynolds continued, “I saw a lot of money being spent [on] special effects and that sort of stuff, and I remember suggesting, ‘Why don’t we, you know, we could write, like, a scene in the movie where people talk, and I don’t know, this could be, like, a fun exchange of dialogue that doesn’t cost anything.’ It was just spectacle, spectacle. Character over spectacle was the lesson that I took with me. In retrospect, I look back now, and realize that’s what really shaped my point of view.”

Suddenly, the character-first approach of Deadpool makes a lot more sense... and not just because the budget for that movie was just $58 million. Without Green Lantern, we probably never would have gotten Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool. It’s almost enough to make you want to go back and rewatch Green Lantern in gratitude, but take it from us: there are far better things to do with your time. (It's streaming on Max if you're not going to take our advice.)

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:

• Upcoming movies
• Upcoming TV shows
• Upcoming comics
• Upcoming games
• Upcoming fiction books
• Upcoming comic conventions