After appearing as a side character in several TV series and a 2011 standalone (yet disastrous) movie, Green Lantern will get a new chance to shine. A superhero crime series called Lanterns is in the works at Max as part of the rebooted DC film universe.
The showrunner for Lanterns is Chris Mundy, Emmy-nominee for Ozark and co-executive producer of True Detective season 4. He’s writing the script with Damon Lindelof, co-creator of Lost and Emmy winner for the Watchmen TV series, and Tom King, a renowned comic book writer. The trio serve as the executive producers along with James Hawes, director of Slow Horses season 1. Hawes will also direct the first two episodes of Lanterns.
If you want to know what to expect from the new DC series, continue reading this article.
Who is the Green Lantern superhero?
Green Lantern is a moniker used by several DC superheroes.
Alan Scott, the first hero under that alias, was introduced in 1940 by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger. Scott was a railroad engineer who got a magical green lantern – he was using that powerful artefact to charge a unique ring that gave him various superpowers. The series was, however, cancelled after World War II due to the decline in the popularity of comic books.
In 1959, Green Lantern was resurrected by Julius Schwartz, who reinvented the superhero, giving him a new name and backstory. Hal Jordan, whose appearance was based on actor Paul Newman, was a former fighter pilot who got the magic ring from a dying alien. He was the founding member of the Justice League, and a leader of an intergalactic police force called the Green Lantern Corps. However, in the 1980s, Hal descended into madness and transformed into a villain called Parallax. After sacrificing himself to save the Solar System, he became the incarnation of Spectre, a divine entity. In the following decades, Jordan returned as Green Lantern in various DC comic miniseries.
Other incarnations of Green Lantern were Guy Gardner, who appeared in 1968, and John Stewart, who was brought to life in 1971 as one of the first black superheroes. Gardner was Hal Jordan’s replacement as Green Lantern and, what’s curious, in the 1980s, became a pastiche for ultra-macho American males. Stewart, a veteran U.S. Marine, was chosen as Hal’s replacement after Guy Gardner suffered a serious accident.
In the 1990s, the alias Green Lantern was taken over by Kyle Rayner, a freelance comic book artist who remained in that position until the mid-2000s. Subsequent incarnations of the superhero include Simon Baz, the first Middle-Eastern member of the Green Lantern Corps; Jessica Cruz, the first female Green Lantern; Sojourner Mullein; and Keli Quintela, a teen Lantern.
Who is the main character of the Lanterns series?
The series’ creators had to choose from many superheroes acting under the alias of Green Lantern. They decided on Hal Jordan and John Stewart. However, the series will feature Guy Gardner, who will be introduced in the Superman movie that will premiere in July 2025.
When will Lanterns be released?
DC hasn’t announced a release date for the new detective series. According to the information posted by James Gunn, work on the set kicked off in February 2025, which means the series won’t premiere anytime soon.
Rumours suggest that Lanterns may premiere in early 2026, after Peacemaker’s second season, which will likely hit Max at the end of 2025. However, this isn’t officially confirmed.
Who is starring in Lanterns?
Hal Jordan, Green Lantern on the brink of retirement, will be portrayed by Kyle Chandler, known from The Wolf of Wall Street and Argo, among others. As Chris Mundy, the showrunner, said (via Vanity Fair):
Kyle has that quality in spades. He’s been so ridiculously good in so many things. He’s also very funny, in a dry wit way, which is important for the character. He’s perfect for the part, and he’s going to make us all look really good, basically.
Aaron Pierre, who starred in Rebel Ridge and Foe, has been cast as John Stewart, a trainee expected to be the next Green Lantern after Jordan’s retirement. The showrunner stated:
Aaron is a serious theater actor, yet he also looks like he was built in a lab to be an action star. Those two qualities spoke to me. He’s an extremely thoughtful performer with a huge range and the ability to be many things at once, which you need for John Stewart.
The cast also features:
- Kelly McDonald as Sheriff Kerry
- Garret Dillahunt as cowboy William Macon
- Jason Ritter as Billy Macon, Kerry’s husband and William’s son
- Poorna Jagannathan as Stewart’s love interest Zoe
- Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, a villain who was once a member of Green Lantern Corps and Hal’s mentor
- Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette, John Stewart’s mother
- Sherman Augustus as John Sr., John Stewart’s father
- Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, another Green Lantern
- Chris Coy as Waylon Sanders, an intelligent survivor or a nervous truck driver
What is the plot of Lanterns?
Not much is known about the plot of the new DC series for now. According to James Gunn, DC Studios co-CEO, the Lanterns will be linked to the Superman movie (via Collider):
It’s really so cool because [Lanterns] is connected to Superman, because we’ve got Guy Gardner in that, and then we got these Green Lanterns over here (…) And it’s just such a different tone from what Superman is. And it’s exactly what I want to bring to the DCU, is being able to have these very different films and television series that are still part of an overall, connected world, but have completely different feels to them.
The logline for the series reads:
Lanterns 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.
Superhero plot aside, it sounds like a description of the next season of True Detective. After the success of neo-noir The Penguin, another dark and realistic tale would be a reasonable step on the part of Warner Bros. After all, the darkness and down-to-earth approach stood behind the success of Marvel’s Daredevil and Punisher.
Apparently, the series’ creators were inspired by more than just True Detective. As DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran mentioned, Lanterns will also feature a pinch of Slow Horses, a British spy series:
You know, we are incredibly fortunate to have Tom, Chris and Damon at the helm. Those guys are just masters. And, you know, Aaron Pierre, magnificent, Kyle Chandler, amazing. We really, really are lucky. And James Hawes is directing it. You know that first season of Slow Horses was incredible television, and he’s bringing all of his skills to the table, so we’re feeling good.
This approach may be meant to distance the series from the 2011 film Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds. The infamous production is considered one of the worst superhero movies ever, partly due to the horrible CGI used to create the extraterrestrial worlds and the hero’s green costume.
Chris Mundy, the showrunner, explained that Lanterns will target both comic book fans and viewers unfamiliar with Green Lantern lore (via Vanity Fair):
Our Lanterns have the rings and all the power they bring, and other characters and aspects of the lore are going to show up or be name-checked. But it’s a series that explores who these guys are when they’re on the job and when they’re out of uniform. It’s designed to be accessible for people who don’t know the mythology, but hopefully really satisfying for people that know it backwards and forwards.
