First Look at HBO DC Series ‘Lanterns’

The actors are playing new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery.

(L to R) Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in 'Lanterns'. Photo: John P. Johnson/HBO.

Preview:

The first image of HBO series ‘Lanterns’ is online.
This new series adapts the ‘Green Lantern’ DC Comics, but in grounded fashion.
Leads Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler feature in this initial look.

The ‘Green Lantern’ comics are famously the story of a human drawn into a mighty, galaxy-spanning force who use rings with the power to conjure up all manner of creations in their fight for justice.

You might be surprised then, to learn that the latest small screen incarnation of the story has an initial promotional image featuring two men walking down a dusty road somewhere in America.

Yet if you’ve been following the production history of new HBO/DC Studios series ‘Lanterns,’ you probably won’t be shocked, since the show is designed to be a more grounded take on the story.

Lanterns

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Here’s Chris Mundy, executive producer and showrunner on the tone for the show:

"From the start, our driving force has been to deliver a layered drama –– rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building –– that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion. The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.”

Let’s not also forget that the cameras have only just started rolling on the show, and even if (more likely when) the characters get to use their powers in service of the mystery, those visual effects take time to bring to screen, even for a still image.

And now we know what stars Aaron Pierre (who recently led ‘Rebel Ridge’) and ‘Friday Night Lights’ actor Kyle Chandler look like when they’re not clad in green or dishing out jewelry-based justice.

What’s the story of ‘Green Lantern’ in comics form?

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps from DC Comics. Photo: DC Comics.

Created in its first incarnation (a Lantern named Alan Scott) in 1940 by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger, the concept of the ‘Green Lantern’ comics is that of a super-powered, police force, battling evil doers with rings that allow them to channel energy into different forms. There are many Lanterns, who patrol the known and unknown universe.

‘Green Lantern’s history on screen has been seriously mixed. Though different takes on the character have flourished in animated movies and series, their live-action counterparts have had less luck. Ryan Reynolds played the Hal Jordan version in a 2011 movie that didn’t triumph at the box office, and there have been fleeting glimpses on the small screen.

Even Zack Snyder didn’t manage to realize his chosen Lantern –– John Stewart –– in his mammoth Snyder Cut of ‘Justice League’. Despite shooting a cameo with Wayne T. Carr as Stewart, Warners asked him to remove the character because of the studio’s own plans. In the end, Snyder swapped in Martian Manhunter.

(Center) James Gunn and the cast of 'Superman.' Photo: James Gunn's Instagram Account.

James Gunn has Nathan Fillion playing the Guy Gardner incarnation in his ‘Superman’ movie, which lands on July 11th.

And the show had been in development before Gunn and Safran made their big DC Studios announcement. Back in 2020, ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Seth Grahame-Smith hopped aboard to write and run what HBO Max (as the streaming service was then called) was picturing its most expensive series to date, a space-set ‘Green Lantern’ drama whose focus would be the Alan Scott and Guy Gardner iterations of the character among the first and most popular versions.

‘Lanterns’ will follow the Hal Jordan (Chandler) and John Stewart (Pierre) characters, as new recruit Stewart and Lantern legend Jordan are described in the latest official synopsis as “two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

So, think ‘True Detective’ meets ‘Green Lantern'. But comic book fans may recognize the basic story from the popular 1970's arc 'Hard Traveling Heroes', which focused on Hal Jordan and his friend Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) traveling across America . Stewart was also featured in that story, and the producers are likely swapping out Queen for Pierre's character.

But there will be some powerful antagonism involved, as Ulrich Thomsen is playing Sinestro a former Green Lantern who turned rogue and is described as ruthless yet charming.

His manipulative nature drives his enduring obsession with his former mentee, Hal Jordan. The character was created by John Broome and Gil Kane and first appeared in the comic book “Green Lantern, Volume 2, #56” released in 1961.

Who else is in ‘Lanterns’?

Garret Dillahunt in 'Red Right Hand,' a Magnolia Pictures release. © Red Right Hand Productions LLC, Steve Squall. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

The cast also includes ‘No Country for Old Men’s Kelly Macdonald, ’12 Years a Slave’ actor Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan (who appeared in (‘The Night Of’), and the aforementioned Thomsen.

Who is working on ‘Lanterns’?

DC Comics' Green Lantern John Stewart. Photo: DC Comics.

Mundy, whose resume includes stints on Netflix’s ‘Ozark’ and HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’, is running the new series, working alongside ‘Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof and DC comics writer Tom King (whose ‘Supergirl’ comic is the basis for the new movie featuring the character).

And James Hawes, who has worked on series including ‘Black Mirror’ ‘Snowpiercer’ and Season 1 of ‘Slow Horses,’ will direct the first two episodes.

He’s not alone –– ‘Watchmen’ veteran Stephen Williams, ‘Under the Bridge’s Geeta Vasant Patel, and former ‘Ozark’ director Alik Sakharov are also handling episodes.

Since they oversee the whole DC Studios arm, filmmaker Gunn and producer Peter Safran are executive producers alongside Ron Schmidt.

When will ‘Lanterns’ be on screens?

We’re still waiting to learn when HBO will premiere the show, though it is reportedly targeting an early 2026 launch.

All together now, let us recite the freshly amended Lantern Corps oath… “In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil’s might beware my power…Green Lantern’s light! On Earth. Probably in a diner.”