Comic-Con ‘09 is going green, as in Green Lantern, for the power ring-wielding superhero’s 50th anniversary.

Warner Premiere’s animated feature, Green Lantern: First Flight, will be screened in a world premiere Thursday, July 23rd in the San Diego Convention Center’s Ballroom 20 at 8:00 p.m. Capacity is 4,000, but you’d still better line up early for this one — GL Corps uniform optional though likely for some.

First Flight is the fifth entry in DVD series of DC Universe’s animated original PG-13 movies, which have included the anthology release Batman: Gotham Knight and Wonder Woman. Coming later this year is Superman-Batman: Public Enemies based on the acclaimed comics story arc/graphic novel by Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness (more on all that in a future Buzzine story).

The day after the screening — on Friday, July 24th — a panel featuring the filmmakers and voice cast will be presented; more details on participants to come.

Actor Christopher Meloni (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) voices test pilot Hal Jordan who becomes Earth’s new Green Lantern. He’s joined by fellow Emmy Award-nominee Victor Garber (Milk, Titanic, Alias) as the Sinestro, Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) as GL Boodikka, and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Sin City) as Lantern trainer Kilowog. The cast also includes Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dexter), John Larroquette (Night Court, Boston Legal), Kurtwood Smith (That ‘70s Show), and David Lander (Laverne & Shirley).

Produced by animation legend Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League and more), Green Lantern: First Flight was directed by Lauren Montgomery (Wonder Woman, Superman Doomsday) and written by four-time Emmy Award-winning writer Alan Burnett (The Batman and comics too).

Green Lantern: First Flight is a new animated version of the “Silver Age” of comics origin of Green Lantern, as Hal Jordan recruited to join the galaxy-spanning Green Lantern Corps, a rookie under veteran senior Lantern Sinestro, who turns out to be…well, you’ll see, unless you’re versed in comics or even Super-Friends cartoons, ’cause then you already know.

The movie, due July 28th on DVD as a special edition two-disc version and Blu-ray, is a co-production of Warner Premiere, DC Comics and Warner Bros.

Check out this quite cool trailer:

Comic-Con going green also finds action figure company DC Direct, together with Graphitti Designs, celebrating the DC Comics crossover event “Blackest Night” with different-colored Hal Jordan Lantern action figures. One figure will be offered daily until each available run sells out at Graphitti’s booth, #2315.

The offerings are:

* Wednesday, July 22nd (Preview Night) – Hal Jordan as the classic, modern Green Lantern, 3,000 pieces.
* Thursday, July 23rd – Yellow Lantern, 1,500
* Friday, July 24th – Blue Lantern, 1,500
* Saturday, July 25th – Orange Lantern, 1,500
* Sunday, July 26th – Red Lantern, 1,500

For more about things Green Lantern, head to DC Comics and the Green Lantern First Flight Website.

Also in pre-production, a live-action Green Lantern movie.  See? It’s never been cooler to be Green…though Kermit knew that decades ago.