It’s frankly shocking that the Green Lantern hasn’t gotten a truly stellar live-action adaptation yet. Of course, DC certainly tried with 2011’s Green Lantern, one of the most infamous comic book films of all time that really shouldn’t have been the disaster that it was. It had a fantastic action filmmaker in Casino Royale director Marin Campbell, an extremely talented cast led by future Deadpool Ryan Reynolds, and rich source material. Alas, the movie is remembered as a critical and financial failure, with nearly everyone who was a part of the film’s production treating it as a practical joke in their careers. Since then, apart from a brief cameo from a Green Lantern Corps member in Justice League, we haven’t seen the famous green ring appear in any other DC live-action project since the first film. Green Lantern has, however, found far more success in television, nearly all of them being animated like the legendary Justice League series and the fan-favorite Green Lantern: The Animated Series. With the many wielders of the Green Lantern ring seemingly feeling much more comfortable on the small screen, it makes sense that new DC Studios CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have opted to use the serialized television format to bring the Green Lanterns into their new DC Universe. Simply titled Lanterns, the plural use of the word is deliberate as the show will star not one, but two heroes who share the title of Green Lantern.
Those two people are Hal Jordan, the original human Green Lantern Corp member and the one we follow in the 2011 film as well as Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and John Stewart, the Green Lantern best known as the roster member seen in both Justice League and its sequel series Justice League Unlimited. The second live-action series in Gunn and Safran’s recently announced “Gods and Monsters” phase, the ambitious new show will see the two Lanterns (and perhaps a few more) embark on a detective story that will result in major consequences for the rest of the DCU. A buddy-cop-style Green Lantern show has been in on-and-off development for a very long time and has been shrouded in secrecy for that same timeframe. With Gunn and Safran now finally kicking the show’s production into gear, it’s only a matter of time until we learn more about the anticipated project. Until then, here is everything we know so far about Lanterns.
Does ‘Lanterns’ Have a Release Date?
Since the show is still in very early production, Lanterns doesn’t have a hard release date or schedule yet, but it does have a vague release window. In Gunn’s release plan announcement, it appears that Lanterns will release sometime between Gunn’s Superman reboot, Superman (previously titled Superman: Legacy), and the super anti-hero ensemble film, The Authority. The Authority doesn’t have a release date yet either, but we do know that Superman: Legacy is planned to release in theaters on July 11, 2025. That means that we can more than likely expect to see Lanterns arrive on HBO Max sometime after Summer 2025. Following the show’s greenlighting, Gunn and Safran officially confirmed that the show is aiming to release in Summer 2025 along with Superman.
Where Can You Watch ‘Lanterns’?
Gunn confirmed in his announcement video that Lanterns will be released as an HBO Max exclusive series, which has now been rebranded to Max. Since then, HBO proper has also picked up the show, and it will air it on the acclaimed network the same day and time as it goes to Max.
Does Lanterns Have a Trailer?
Lanterns is still in very early pre-production and filming won’t begin for quite some time, so it’ll be a while before we get a first look at what’s in store for Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The only thing we have as far as promotional material goes is James Gunn’s announcement video, where he reveals Lanterns and the rest of the slate for the “Gods and Monsters” phase. When discussing Lanterns, the comic art used seems to showcase Hal Jordan covered in that iconic green aura and John Stewart shrouded in the more sinister yellow color, perhaps giving some hints about the show’s plot.
Who Stars in ‘Lanterns’?
The wait is officially over – Lanterns has found not one, but two great actors to play both the Hal Jordan and John Stewart versions of Green Lantern. Following early rumors and reports, it was finally officially announced that Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler will be playing an older and wiser Hal Jordan. While many different characters have worn the Green Lantern ring over the years, Hal Jordan is among the most well-known of them, being a young hot-shot fighter pilot who inherited the ring after stumbling upon a dying member of the Green Lantern Corps. Chandler has been something of an acting hiatus since starring in 2022’s Slumberland, though he is also set to star in the fittingly titled Back in Action in 2025.
As for John Stewart, he will be played by Aaron Pierre, who recently received wide praise and attention for his performances in Genius and Rebel Ridge. Pierre is also set to provide the voice of young Mufasa in the upcoming live-action prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King. Not to be confused with the host of The Daily Show, John Stewart quickly became a fan-favorite Green Lantern after being a major character in the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited animated shows. In the comics, Stewart is a veteran who is selected to become the third active Green Lantern to go along with Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner, and he proves himself to be one of the most noble humans ever to earn the title.
Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) will play a supporting role in the series as Sheriff Kerry. The character is said to be a love interest of Chandler’s Hal Jordan. Also joining the cast is Poorna Jagannathan (Onyx Collective’s Deli Boys) in an undisclosed role.
Are Other Lanterns Appearing in the Series?
Since this is a Green Lantern show, it also wouldn’t be surprising to see Nathan Fillion make an appearance in the series. The Firefly star is set to portray yet another Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, in James Gunn’s highly anticipated Superman film. While an official confirmation of his appearance is not confirmed, we can only speculate on his potential involvement. Since the show is already confirmed to feature multiple Green Lanterns, including Fillion’s Guy Gardner, it would make perfect sense. During an April 2024 interview, Fillion told the funny story of how his long-time collaborator James Gunn told him he was playing Guy Gardner:
“We were actually at the premiere party after Suicide Squad and he was in a huge crowd of people. We saw each other in the crowd and I congratulated him, ‘Oh, my God, that was amazing. It’s so great.’ He goes, ‘Hey, did Peter [Safran] tell you what we’ve got for you next?’ I said, ‘No, he hasn’t said.’ He looked around like someone was gonna be listening. We were in a throng of people, but he leaned over and said, ‘You’re gonna be Guy Gardner.’”
Fillion also further expressed his excitement to play Guy Gardner and discussed what sets him apart from Hal Jordan and John Stewart:
“The reality is that people have flaws. We all have quirks. We all have vulnerabilities. You could have the most wonderful family, but be like, ‘Oh, my God, my dad drives me nuts. He’s got this one thing.’ Everybody’s got something, and I love to lean into those faults and flaws. It’s what makes people real and what allows audiences to relate, because we all know what that is. We all have our own. We witness it in other people. Guy Gardner is 90% flawed and doesn’t care. That’s one of his flaws. I think there’s a real freedom in playing that. So, for a guy who likes to play flaws and flawed people, Guy Gardner is a gold mine.”
What Are the Comic Origins of Hal Jordan and John Stewart?
Hal Jordan’s life before becoming a Green Lantern and joining the original roster of the Justice League is fairly straightforward. Hal’s father, Martin, was an airforce pilot who made a career out of testing the latest experimental technology the military had to offer. Tragically, that resulted in Martin dying in a plane crash, but that did little to stop Hal from becoming a dashing and cocky pilot like his old man. Hal’s rebellious nature got him into quite a bit of trouble, but that didn’t stop Abin Sur, a dying alien and Green Lantern Corp member, from choosing Hal as his successor. Once Abin Sur relinquished his ring and lantern battery, Hal officially became the Green Lantern, gaining the ability to use the ring’s power to conjure up any object that he could imagine. Over the years he’s fought many villains both terrestrial and extra-terrestrial, his arch-nemesis being his former mentor and leader of the fearsome Yellow Lanterns, Sinestro (played by Mark Strong in the 2011 movie).
Like Hal, John Stewart was also a member of the military before becoming a Green Lantern, though he was a boots-on-the-ground marine rather than a high-in-the-sky Air Force pilot. John also found himself continually questioning authority, refusing to follow orders that would put innocents in harm’s way. This bravery in the face of powerful authority is exactly what both the Green Lantern Corps and later the Justice League look for in their members, so Stewart became an easy candidate to become another human Green Lantern alongside Hal Jordan and the third human Green Lantern Corps member, Guy Gardner. John Stewart’s reputable career as a Green Lantern easily matched if not exceeded that of his predecessors, even accomplishing what no human ever had before by becoming a member of the Guardians of the Universe – the legendary galactic council that founded and oversees the Green Lantern Corps itself.
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Do We Know Anything About the Plot of Lanterns?
The main details we know about the show’s plot and tone came from Gunn himself in his announcement video. There, Gunn said that the series will primarily be a terrestrial adventure, meaning that the show will primarily take place on Earth. Gunn also said the series will essentially function as the DC Universe equivalent of True Detective, showing a crime/mystery genre may be in play. The promo art shown in the video also sees Hal clad in green and John in yellow. Anyone who knows Green Lantern knows that green signifies good and willpower while yellow signifies evil and fear, so perhaps Hal and John might be enemies rather than partners in the series. Gunn teased that Hal and John might not be the only Lanterns who appear, indicating that other comic Lanterns like Guy Gardner and Jessica Cruz might also show up. Finally, Gunn concluded the segment by saying that the main story of Lanterns will directly tie into the overarching core narrative of the DCU.
The official synopsis for the upcoming series reads as follows:
The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Who is Making ‘Lanterns’?
Lanterns has assembled a stellar trio of writers to help bring the greenlit Green Lantern series to life. The writing team includes The Leftovers and Watchmen showrunner Damon Lindelof, Ozark and True Detective scribe Chris Mundy, and acclaimed DC comics writer Tom King. King in particular is already closely tied to the new DCU, given that his revered comic of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is also being adapted into a feature film starring Milly Alcock. James Gunn and Peter Safran are clearly excited to have such a stellar team of writers on board, as evident by the following statement:
“We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon, and Tom at the helm. John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman .”
Prior to becoming the new leaders at DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran’s skill and talent for filmmaking has always been clear. Peter Safran has produced nearly every major DC project starting with Aquaman, with him also producing Shazam!, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker. Speaking of those latter two projects, those were both directed and written by James Gunn, who first grew to popularity after directing the beloved and critically acclaimed Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Gunn is also directing several upcoming DC projects, including Superman, Creature Commandos, and Peacemaker Season 2.
Right before the casting of Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, Lanterns also found one of likely several directors to helm the series Slow Horses director James Hawes is now attached to the series, once again giving somewhat of an idea what tone that the detective show will be going for. Slow Horses is a show that heavily relies on slow-moving character drama, so perhaps thats something we may see in Lanterns.
Will ‘Lanterns’ Get a Season 2?
Lanterns will reportedly be a grand total of eight episodes long, with all eight of them set to debut exclusively on Max. As to whether or not the show will get a second season, that’s entirely up in the air. There’s certainly no shortage of stories to tell with the Green Lanterns in the DC universe, and its abundantly clear that the intergalactic defenders are going to have a big presence in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC continuity.
Lanterns
- Writers
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Chris Mundy
, Damon Lindelof - Network
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HBO
- Directors
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James Hawes
- Producers
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James Gunn
