Justin Timberlake Made Another Box-Office Flop After Auditioning for ‘Green Lantern’
Although Justin Timberlake is probably best known as a singer and songwriter, he also made the move to acting over two decades ago. As he worked to establish himself in Hollywood, he almost committed to a movie that went on to be a huge flop. But although he managed to dodge that catastrophe, the movie he chose to do instead was also a failure.
Justin Timberlake auditioned for ‘Green Lantern’
In 2011, the superhero movie Green Lantern was released with much fanfare. Starring Ryan Reynolds, it had a huge budget of $200 million, and it was expected to be a success. But according to BuzzFeed, it was a flop, barely earning at the box office what it cost to make. It didn’t do well with critics or audiences, and it only scored a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Reynolds’ name is forever tied to the movie, although he may wish it wasn’t. However, the lead character could have been played by someone else. Bradley Cooper also came close to landing the role, even going as far in the process as doing a screen test. But the producers decided he wasn’t the right person for the part, and they turned to Reynolds.
Justin Timberlake was also in the running for Green Lantern, and he did a screen test as well. But ultimately, he decided to do a different movie instead — although that one didn’t work out very well either.
Justin Timberlake starred in ‘In Time’
Timberlake decided to star in the sci-fi movie In Time instead. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the plot was set in the future, where time is literally money. In this world, wealthy people are able to extend their lives indefinitely by buying time, while poor people die early. Timberlake played Will, a man so poor that he’s usually just a day away from death.
In Time got a 37% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and it also had a poor showing at the box office. Overall, it fared a little bit better than Green Lantern, because it cost less to make. It also did fairly well globally.
Fortunately, just as Reynolds has gone on to star in other, more successful movies, In Time wasn’t Timberlake’s last experience as an actor.
Justin Timberlake’s acting career
Of course, Timberlake first became famous as a pop star. But since 2000, he’s worked to find a place for himself as an actor, and he’s been in more than 20 movies so far. And those included some successful movies as well as parts in some other flops.
His first movie, Longshot, was also his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears’ debut acting job. It was filmed in 2000, and it was a dismal failure. In 2008, he starred in the flop Love Guru. This movie lands at number 84 on the list of IMDb‘s Bottom 100 Movies of All Time.
On the other hand, he also appeared in the Oscar-winning 2010 movie The Social Network. He can also brag that he was in the Oscar-nominated 2013 movie Inside Llewyn Davis. He even got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for “Please Mr. Kennedy,” which he wrote for the movie.
Like many actors, Timberlake has had his ups and downs. Although he managed to dodge a bullet by avoiding Green Lantern, he just traded that flop for another one that did nearly as badly. Nonetheless, he didn’t give up, and he has managed to score some wins since In Time came and went.
