Actress Juliet Landau, a fanboy favorite from her devious appearances on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Angel, easily glides into the voice of sultry alien Labella in Green Lantern: First Flight, the next DC Universe animated original PG-13 movie coming to DVD on July 28, 2009.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new Green Lantern: First Flight on July 28, 2009. The Blu-ray Hi-Def edition, the special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD will be distributed by Warner Home Video. The action-packed movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, July 28, 2009.

Turning her attention behind the camera, Landau has received notable praise for her initial pair of directing gigs. She helmed Take Flight, a documentary centering on the creative process of actor/director Gary Oldman, which drew rave reviews at a recent advance screening. Her co-direction of the Godhead music video, “Hero,” is garnering widespread Internet acclaim. She also has been busy at the keyboard, co-writing the Drusilla story line for the Angel comic books as well as scripting Its Raining Cats and Cats, a short film in which she intends to play seven different roles.

Christopher Meloni provides the voice of Hal Jordan, the alter ego of the title character in Green Lantern: First Flight. The cast includes Victor Garber, Tricia Helfer and Michael Madsen. Landau offers a Cajun-style vocal performance for Labella, a mistress of the seedier side of the universe in which the Green Lantern Corps patrol.

Landau and Meloni have worked closely together in the past, starring as brother and sister in the 1999 award-winning independent film Carlos Wake. Landau is also another member of the growing legion of Whedonverse actors to figure prominently in a DC Universe film. Among Whedon/DCU alums are Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, James Marsters and David Boreanaz, with a few more on the DCU horizon.

Fortunately for the masses, Landau carved a few minutes out of her busy schedule to chat about voiceover work, the development of her Green Lantern: First Flight character, and the ability to grow and create in the entertainment business. So sit back and enjoy an intriguing Q&A with Juliet Landau

QUESTION: What is the enticement of voiceover for animation?

JULIET LANDAU: It is so much fun! You get to sit with a bunch of actors and play. Really play! Theres no hair and make-up, no primping just absolute, uninhibited creativity. Thats the real joy of acting. And it doesnt get any better than working with Bruce Timm and Andrea Romano.

QUESTION: Do you have a preference for the type of characters you play?

JULIET LANDAU: I like playing all different kinds of characters. Each one is its own little puzzle. Aliens are fun because you have a lot of freedom. The voice of Labella just came to me when I read the pages in a kind of organic in a way. I immediately felt like she had to sound the way I played her. When I came in for looping (pick up sound work) Andrea Romano described my Labella sound as honey-voiced. I think that really captures it.

QUESTION: Tell us about Labella?

JULIET LANDAU: There was a lot of room for invention in this character, especially with the device they use with her. I dont want to give it away, but she does go through a bit of torture and it causes a rift between Sinestro and Hal. I really liked the sexuality and the flirtatiousness of the character. Shes very different from any of the characters Ive voiced on Justice League Unlimited or Ben 10: Alien Force shes a completely unique character.

QUESTION: You spent some time acting alongside Christopher Meloni as brother and sister in Carlos Wake. Do you have any good tales to tell about our Hal Jordan?

JULIET LANDAU: Carlos Wake revolved around a big Italian family gathering together at the patriarchs funeral. The immediate Torello family rehearsed at my house prior to shooting. I remember working on this funny scene where (Chris Melonis character) Benny tells me about his existential crisis while out on the fishing boats catching tuna. With despondency, he asks something like, What is it all for? And my character Anna, who was not the sharpest tool in the shed, says something akin to I thought it was sos we could have tuna salad sandwiches

Chris was flown to New York while we were shooting to meet with Garry Marshall about Runaway Bride. Upon returning, he came into the make-up room and told us about the meeting and we were all saying, It sounds like youre gonna get this! And indeed, he did.

QUESTION: When did you start comics writing, and whats the attraction of the written word?

JULIET LANDAU: My first foray into comics is a two-issue arc about Drusilla for Angel: After the Fall. I am co-writing with Brian Lynch and enjoying it immensely. The first issue will be out in July, the second in August. I have been working with 3 different artists on some of the imagery and cover art as well. I also wrote a short film called Its Raining Cats and Cats, which I will co-direct. Exploring these different facets of creativity has been truly inspiring. As an actor, youre a component; but when youre writing and directing, it is your vision of the whole project, which is very appealing. Take Flight has been an amazing experience. Gary Oldman directed a music video shot entirely on Nokia cell phones. Initially he asked me to direct the Making Of. But what started out solely as a behind-the-scenes Making Of, bloomed into a short documentary film about Garys creative process. He loves the movie because it shows him in a light hes never been seen.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the films official website at www.greenlanternmovie.com

Suggested captions for attached images:

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Labella (left) attempts to dissuade Sinestro from pursuing additional, potentially harmful interrogation during Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video. Actress Juliet Landau (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel) performs the voice of Labella.

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Labella fears the power of the purple sphere and what Sinestro intends to do with it in a telling scene from Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video. Actress Juliet Landau (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel) provides the voice of Labella.

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Actress Juliet Landau (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, Angel) conjures a Cajun sultriness to her voice for the character of Labella in Green Lantern: First Flight. The all-new DC Universe animated original movie will be distributed July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

Trademark information for the images:
GREEN LANTERN Warner Bros. Ent Inc. Wonder Woman and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and DC Comics. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Green Lantern: First Flight animated feature will debut Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc. Stay tuned for further Green Lantern: First Flight updates.

Click here to discuss the story!

DIRECTOR LAUREN MONTGOMERY DISCUSSES GREEN LANTERN: FIRST FLIGHT, THE NEXT DC UNIVERSE ANIMATED ORIGINAL FILM COMING TO DVD JULY 28, 2009

Fresh off her triumphant solo directorial debut of Wonder Woman, Lauren Montgomery shifts gears from Amazons and mythology to intergalactic intrigue as the director of Green Lantern: First Flight, the fifth in the ongoing series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies.

Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation are set to release the all-new Green Lantern: First Flight on July 28, 2009. The Blu-Ray Hi-Def edition, the special edition 2-disc DVD, and a single disc DVD will be distributed by Warner Home Video. The action-packed movie will also be available OnDemand and Pay-Per-View as well as available for download day and date, July 28, 2009.

Montgomery has been a central force within the DC Universe animated original movies, directing one-third of the series initial film, Superman Doomsday, and wowing critics and fans alike with her solo directorial debut at the helm of Wonder Woman. With Green Lantern: First Flight, Montgomery takes the next step in her burgeoning career, directing the initial full-length story to feature the DC Comics super hero and an entire universe of fascinating characters. She is once again teamed with executive producer Bruce Timm, this time working from an Alan Burnett script that focuses on Hal Jordans recruitment to the Green Lantern Corps and his discovery of a secret conspiracy that threatens its philosophies, traditions and hierarchy.

There is no rest for the weary. Though Green Lantern: First Flight has just completed production, Montgomery has already begun directing her next project another upcoming DCU that youll no doubt hear about in the not-too-distant future. Montgomery paused between recording sessions and storyboards to chat about the directorial learning curve, a new universe of astounding characters, a very cool quartet of key voiceover actors, and the tricks to avoiding greens and yellows for an entire background color palette.

Read on its director Lauren Montgomery talking about Green Lantern: First Flight!

QUESTION: Will Green Lantern: First Flight be in the well-known design of Bruce Timm, or be more of the Lauren Montgomery vision from Wonder Woman?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: Were actually having a lot of fun trying different artistic styles on different movies Bruce felt his style has been done enough, and I just had my turn plus I knew there were many other character designers who are infinitely better at designing aliens that I am. We were lucky to get Jose Lopez to create the characters for Green Lantern. I think he even took a pay cut from his last job to do Green Lantern, but this project really allows him to let his animation go wild. Youve never seen anything like some of his designs for this film. His take on the familiar characters is fairly true to form, but hes designed literally an entire universe of completely new characters in the different Green Lanterns, aliens and background characters. There are a lot of awesome, fantastical creatures. Like me, Jose is trained in animation instead of comics, so his style really lends itself to being animated and everything he’s done has looked spectacular. I think it’s really looking different from anything we’ve ever done.

QUESTION: Did Jose ever over-step any boundaries and need to be reined in?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: Actually, his first designs were a little too stylized. For the main characters, the designs were a little too streamlined we had to make Sinestro more like the comics. But once he got that figured out, he really went crazy. It was exciting to see him come in with these characters. Even his Weaponer designer is far different than what weve seen before, but DC was okay with it. So we just let him run wild.

QUESTION: Were there any beyond-the-norm issues strategizing a color scheme for a film with an entire army of characters wearing the same color?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: We tried desperately to avoid as much green as we could in backgrounds and supporting characters, so the Green Lanterns and the rings and their effects were the only green portions of the scene. We also tried to stay away from copious amounts of yellow so that would make an impact later in the film. When you eliminate two of the main colors, it kind of limits you, so we had to utilize a lot of shades of blue, red and orange, and I think we were able to make it work. It was a really wise decision on Bruce’s part to keep the green and the yellow to the characters that were defined by that color.

QUESTION: Did you learn anything directing Wonder Woman that you were able to apply and/or improve upon for Green Lantern: First Flight?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: Wonder Woman taught me that you can’t board the whole movie by yourself (she laughs), so I just let my storyboard artists do their job on Green Lantern. I let them come up with their ideas and I focused on keeping everything cohesive. Ultimately, I think the movie is better for it. I guess I learned to be more relaxed and to not be such a control freak. Which I think is good (laughs again). It certainly made my work load a lot easier.

QUESTION: How much origin story should Green Lantern fans expect to see?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: As we had already done the origin story a few movies back in Justice League: The New Frontier, we really didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time telling that same story over again. So in Green Lantern: First Flight, the origin story is over and done before the opening credits. That way we get right into Hal Jordans first adventure.

QUESTION:What do the four main voice cast members bring to their roles?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: Christopher Meloni is a very serious actor and really got into the character to understand all the little nuances of exactly what Hal was thinking at every moment. He would ask very interesting, detailed, unexpected questions so he could totally get the mind set, and in doing so he was able to deliver an incredible performance that that really defines Hal as a confident hero, but not cocky or a jerk. Hal Jordan has a humor to him that isn’t quite as big as the Flash, but still not stiff like Batman. Christopher was able to give us that fun side of Hal, too.

Victor Garber has this intimidating presence and power behind his deliveries where you can hear that Sinestro knows what he’s doing, he’s been through this before and he’s pretty sure of himself. He gives Sinestro a very believable sense of suave sophistication. Sinestro is not your typical evil villain, and Victor Garber makes him seem like an incredibly intelligent, worldly guy who believes he is doing the right thing, even though he might not be doing it the correct way.

Kilowog is this big, hulking creature and he needed a voice that was really recognizable and had a strong presence. Michael Madsen was able to give us these line readings that we really didnt expect you cant help laughing at his intonations and he ends up with some of the funniest lines in the whole script. He even did some fake burps that are just ridiculous youll actually hear a couple of those in the movie. It was just a match made in heaven, really.

Boodikka is not just your doe-eyed, token female she has strength and believability without losing the feminine qualities of our primary female character. There arent a ton of women in the Green Lantern Corps apparently its a male-dominated industry (she laughs). Tricia Helfer has a really sympathetic quality to her voice that captures the quieter side of Boodikka, but Tricia also has this amazing strength in her voice. She was able to make Boodikka this wonderful, relatable, three-dimensional character.

QUESTION: What made Alan Burnetts script right for this first Green Lantern film?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY: Alan delivered a Green Lantern script that really explored what being a space cop is all about. He didn’t focus purely on the heroic Hal super power approach its more of an overall Green Lantern Corps story and Hal’s existence within that group. And its not Hal on Earth being a super hero were in space for virtually the entire movie, so Alan gave us multiple backgrounds and scene settings so we could explore the galaxy. That made it even more interesting seeing and exploring different alien locales and lifestyles. Being away from Earth is incredibly liberating in terms of design possibilities.

QUESTION: Without any spoilers, do you have a favorite scene?

LAUREN MONTGOMERY We have a scene about 17 minutes into the movie when Hal and Sinestro go into this establishment looking for a killer, and even though youve already seen some of the alien Green Lanterns, this is the first time you get an eyeful of the alien characters that Jose Lopez designed. The place is packed with all these really cool aliens, and theyre all so crazy looking. But you know their personalities immediately. Its a very tense, cool scene and you really get to see how different that world is from Earth. Thats the defining scene from the movie that lets you know youre not in Kansas anymore.

For more information, images and updates, please visit the films official website at www.greenlanternmovie.com.

Suggested captions for attached images:
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Director Lauren Montgomery said character designer Jose Lopez ran wild in creating a galaxy of new creatures for Green Lantern: First Flight, the all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

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Lauren Montgomery focused on the big picture in directing Green Lantern: First Flight, but she take the time to do the character design on Boodikka (voiced by Tricia Helfer) for the all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

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Its Hal Jordan to the rescue in Green Lantern: First Flight, the all-new DC Universe animated original movie set for distribution July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video.

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Director Lauren Montgomery addresses the WonderCon audience during the after the West Coast Premiere of Wonder Woman in February. Montgomerys next film, Green Lantern: First Flight, an all-new DC Universe animated original movie, will be distributed July 28, 2009 by Warner Home Video. (photo courtesy of Gary Miereanu)

Trademark information for the images:
GREEN LANTERN Warner Bros. Ent Inc. “Wonder Woman” and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and DC Comics. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation, the direct-to-video Green Lantern: First Flight animated feature will debut Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray disc. Stay tuned for further Green Lantern: First Flight updates.

Click here to discuss the story!

The World’s Finest brings you a first look at the Blu-ray cover art for the upcoming Green Lantern: First Flight direct-to-video animated feature. Click on the thumbnail below to view the hi-res artwork.

Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming Green Lantern: First Flight animated feature and home video release.

Click here to discuss the story!