Jackie Earle Haley Still Sinestro In "Green Lantern"

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

When rumors recently emerged that Jackie Earle Haley ("Watchmen," "A Nightmare on Elm Street") would play the villain Sinestro in the upcoming "Green Lantern" film, the talk was quickly shot down by the actor, who denied the report.

According to HitFlix: The old rumor that Jackie Earle Haley was in the running to play the character of Sinestro in Martin Campbell's space adventure Green Lantern might have some merit.

Industry sources say that Haley remains the only choice for Sinestro by the studio, and he's in the film. The key thing here is that Sinestro will essentially be what Dylan Baker's Curt Conners was to the "Spider-Man" films--a short role that will expand into a fully fledged villain in a further sequel down the track.

Back in October, when the rumor first surfaced, Haley was asked if he would confirm its authenticity. He told a journalist at Collider.com that he had not screen tested for the role.

Peter Saarsgard plays the main villain of the piece--the dangerous telepath Hector Hammond--whose contact with an alien force threatens Earth's security.

We all know that “sources” can be unreliable. Very rarely are they Woodward and Bernstein’s “Deep Throat.” But until this is proved otherwise, it looks as if Haley is the new ‘it-villain,’ taking the (imaginary) title from Sherlock Holmes’ Mark Strong. Haley is slated to play Freddy Kruger in the upcoming “Nightmare on Elm St.” remake.

“Green Lantern,” starring Ryan Reynolds, will be released June 17, 2011.