Ulrich Thomsen to Play Sinestro on DC’s ‘Lanterns’

The Danish actor joins a cast that already includes Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald and Garret Dillahunt.

(Left) Ulrich Thomsen in 'The Good Traitor'. Photo: Denmark. (RIght) Sinestro from DC Comics. Photo: Dc Comics.

Preview:

Ulrich Thomsen is the latest recruit for the DC ‘Lanterns’ series.
He’s aboard to be the villainous character Sinestro.
Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre are playing the lead roles.

After years spent in frustrating development (you can read its somewhat tortured history below), the DC-spawned, HBO-based series ‘Lanterns, ’ based on the Green Lantern character is finally, actually seeing some forward movement.

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We already have ‘Friday Night Lights’ veteran Kyle Chandler and ‘Rebel Ridge’s Aaron Pierre playing main characters Hal Jordan and John Stewart and now we know who will be their main antagonist: Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen has, according to Deadline, signed on to play the villainous Sinestro in a recurring role.

Thomsen joins a cast that also includes Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt as modern cowboy William Macon, and Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe, a potential love interest for John.

The casting of Sinestro is an interesting one, since the logline for the show (again, more on that below) has been at pains to portray it as a gritty, grounded take on the ‘Green Lantern’ concept, but the presence of the powerful character suggests there will still be some be some energy abilities on display.

With the series still in pre-production (it should kick off shooting next month), perhaps ‘Green Lantern’ fans will finally get to see the series –– the casting is certainly intriguing and the HBO budget means when effects are needed they’ll hopefully be impressive.

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.

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 James Gunn and Peter Safran made their big 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 and John Stewart 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’…

Sinestro, meanwhile, is 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 is working on the current incarnation of ‘Lanterns’?

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

Chris Mundy, whose resume includes stints on Netflix’s ‘Ozark’ and HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’, is showrunner on 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.

Where else have I seen Ulrich Thomsen?

Ulrich Thomsen in 'Trom'. Photo: Denmark.

Thomsen is known for playing Kai Proctor in Cinemax’s series ‘Banshee’

The Danish actor recently starred in the critically acclaimed Scandinavian series ‘Trom.’ He recurred in NBC’s ‘The Blacklist,’ Starz drama ‘Counterpart’ and HBO’s ‘The Young Pope.’

He will next be seen in Uwe Boll’s thriller ‘Run’ opposite Amanda Plummer.