Green Lantern looks to play a major part in James Gunn's James Gunn's Superman, it's a great time to be a Green Lantern fan.

The Green Lantern John Stewart has proven to be a significant hero in the DC Animated Universe with Justice League and its sequel series, Justice League: Unlimited. This gave way to a short-lived Green Lantern animated series, which put the spotlight on more Lanterns, such as Kilowog and Guy Garner. On the live-action front, the Green Lantern Corps had a tragic fate, with Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern considered one of the worst superhero movies ever made. However, with James Gunn attempting to revamp DC as its new creative head, Lanterns might serve as a breath of fresh air.

Lanterns Latest News

Another Green Lantern Is Set To Appear

Even more casting for Lanterns has been announced, and this time, another Green Lantern will make an appearance on the show. It is confirmed that Nathan Fillion will return as Guy Gardner for Lanterns after his debut in Superman, set to be released July 11, 2025. Rumors that he would appear had been circulating for a while, so it is nice to finally get some confirmation. Guy Gardner could provide a fun contrast to the gritty drama that Hal and John will likely be bringing to the table.

It's possible that Guy Gardner won't play a massive role in Lanterns as the series looks to heavily focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart, but it will be interesting to see how his appearance plays out. This could also open up the possibilities for other Green Lanterns to eventually the DCU, and other seasons of Lanterns if they decide to make more, such as Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, or Simon Baz.

Lanterns Is Confirmed

Lanterns Is Coming To HBO

After canceling several DC Extended Universe projects, co-CEOs of DC Studios Peter Safran and James Gunn's plans are attempting to fix previous franchise problems while starting DC's cinematic ventures on a new note. Finally, some clarity was offered on January 31, 2023, when Gunn announced 10 new movies and shows, which included Lanterns. Since then, Lanterns has had some exciting developments, including hiring Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and Chris Mundy (Ozark) as writers alongside comic book writer, Tom King.

Official synopsis: "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"

Official notes: "HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. LANTERNS is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes. The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, King and Hawes. Based on the DC comic 'Green Lantern.'"

At a press event for DC Studios led by James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled some new details regarding Lanterns. Most notable are its production status, the small connections it has to Superman, and its tone compared to other projects. Gunn and Safran's statements about Lanterns are as follows:

James Gunn: Then finally, y'know, we have Lanterns, which we just started shooting with HBO and Warner Brothers, and that is another really marvelous team of Tom King, Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy. And they have been doing marvelous work. I've been watching the dailies with that. It's really so cool because it is connected to Superman because we've got Guy Gardner in that, and then we've got these green lanterns over here. 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 'em.

Peter Safran: I will just say that we are incredibly fortunate to have Tom Chris and Damon Lindelof at the helm. Those guys are just masters. Aaron Pierre, magnificent, Kyle Chandler, amazing. We really are lucky. James Hawes is directing it.

What stands out about their statements is that Lanterns has already begun shooting, indicating that everything for the new HBO show is coming along nicely, and the small connections to Superman regarding Guy Gardner as Green Lantern, possibly connected to Lanterns as well, though the statement seemingly was referring to John Stewart and Hal Jordan. Still, it is possible that Guy Gardner will show up at some point in the series.

James Gunn, emphasizing the different tone that Lanterns will have compared to Superman, is exciting as he always said that he wanted each project in the DCU to feel different and with its own identity. Not every movie and show needs to feel the same, and that can help the DCU really feel unique in how it approaches its shared universe.

When Could DC's Lanterns Release?

Possible 2026 Release Date

There is no official release date announced for Lanterns, but it is reported that DC Studios is currently looking to begin filming in early 2025 and finish in July 2025. With an extensive amount of VFX work that will presumably need to be done, Lanterns seems like it is primed for a release sometime in 2026. Once production is officially underway, a better idea of when Lanterns will release should quickly follow.

The DCU is still being fleshed out in of release schedule, with Superman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Clayface being the only projects with actual release dates. If Lanterns makes the 2026 release window, it will Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface, priming DC to have a strong slate following Superman in 2025.

Lanterns Cast

Hal Jordan and John Stewart Lead A Stellar Cast

Kyle Chandler was a surprising choice for Hal Stewart but has proven that he can play that mentor role extremely well, especially with his Emmy-winning performance as Coach Eric Taylor in Friday Night Lights. Hal Jordan is typically the main Green Lantern in DC, but hasn't been in live-action since his first disappointing movie outing. Alongside Hal Jordan will be John Stewart, the other main Green Lantern and will be played by Aaron Pierre, who recently had a star turn with Netflix's Rebel Ridge. Nathan Fillion will reprise his role as Guy Gardner following his appearance in Superman.

No story is complete without a villain, and it has been confirmed that Ulrich Thomsen (Banshee) will have a recurring role as Sinestro in Lanterns. Sinestro is the quintessential Green Lantern villain with significant ties to Hal Jordan, given that he was Jordan's mentor when they were both of the Corps. It's unclear if he will be a Green Lantern or will already have founded the Sinestro Corps, the yellow-light wielders, but given that Hal Jordan is a much older take on the character, it's likely he will be donning yellow for the series.

Alongside the three major Green Lantern characters, Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men, Brave) will be playing Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt (Deadwood) will play William Macon, and Poorna Jagannathan (The Night Of) will play Zoe. Jason Ritter will be playing Billy Macon, William's son, Ari Nicole Parker will be playing John Stewart's mother, Bernadette, and J. Alphonse Nicholson will be taking on the role of John Stewart Sr.

Lanterns Story Details

True Detective With Superheroes

Going by what James Gunn has revealed, the premise of DCU's new Green Lantern show would go along the lines of a True Detective-style crime thriller with the two Green Lanterns investigating a mystery that would connect the show with the larger story that Gunn's proposed Gods and Monsters arc would explore. As Gunn referred to it as "a terrestrial-based mystery", most of the action is to take place on Earth. In this sense, the duo would serve more as "space cops" instead of being superheroes, which is a common view of what the Green Lantern Corps actually is.

The True Detective style goes on to prove how the new DC slate reveal is willing to be open to diverse creative inspirations rather than just sticking to overdone superhero formulae. As Gunn is not too eager to reinterpret the origins of his characters, Lanterns would feature its titular characters as already-established heroes.

The mystery that they will be solving is of an ancient scale that could have significant consequences for the two Green Lanterns as well as the overall story of the rebooted DC universe. It is also possible that the first season's Earth-based story gives way to more interstellar arcs in future seasons, much like the comics.

The first look at Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart was released. The image was shared by Max on X as well as by James Gunn, with the DCU head promising "something really special" to look forward to regarding Lanterns.

What stands out with this first look is how grounded it is. Lanterns was always said to be a grounded, True Detective-esque take on the characters, and it seems to be going exactly that way. Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler look great together as John and Hal, as Chandler especially looks to nail the weathered veteran look. Though they aren't in their Green Lantern uniforms, the first reveal definitely sets the tone for what to expect from Lanterns.

An exciting update from one of the cast indicates that the HBO series could be something special. Actress Poorna Jagannathan recently talked about the script with Collider, having high praise for its writing and its accessibility despite its sci-fi genre, stating:

"This is the first script that I’ve read that I understand why there’s an NDA... Everything is so insane. It is the best writing that I have ever read... I don’t know anything about sci-fi, and I don’t care, actually, but this script makes sci-fi seem like my world. It makes it so accessible to me. I understand everything about this world even though I don’t understand this world. So it’s the best sci-fi script I’ve ever read."

Green Lantern's mythology is quite vast and can be complicated for those not well-versed in DC or Green Lantern history, but if Lanterns is able to take that world and make it easy to digest for casual viewers, the series could be a big hit for HBO.

DC Movie Releases

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  Superman

  Release Date

  July 11, 2025

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  Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

  Release Date

  June 26, 2026

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  The Batman Part II

  Release Date

  October 1, 2027

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