WBD is betting big on James Gunn’s retooling of the DCU, and he has been taking his time to get things right, which is just fine because he’s not taking the simplest path to reinventing DC superheroes onscreen. Nor is he taking the safest route, given his Peacemaker revelations the most minute details, including naming The Suicide Squad and running with that irreverent yet twisted attitude.
Gunn and Peter Safran are executive producing the HBO drama series Lanterns with Chris Mundy set as showrunner and details beginning to come together. As comic book fans know the Green Lantern Corps. contains 7,000+ members, and at least a few of them will surface in this show. Let’s put on our nerd caps and mull over what to expect from this series.
Cast
The two leads of the series are set in small-screen stone. Kyle Chandler (of the upcoming Back In Action and of Friday Night Lights fame) will star as the older version of Hal Jordan, the same Lantern that Ryan Reynolds once disastrously (and he knows it) portrayed on the big screen. As for his co-lead, his star is currently on the rise, which makes this tidbit ultra satisfying.
Aaron Pierre, who earned Bond comparisons in Netflix and Jeremy Saulnier’s, will Rebel Ridge and will soon be heard in Barry Jenkins’ Mufasa: The Lion King, will step up as Lantern John Stewart.
As the casting trickle usually goes, we should hear more names soon.
Plot
Gunn and WBD have kept a tight lid on plot details, but the Guardians of the Galaxy helmer did share that the series “is putting together a crack team of writers, based on a wonderful pilot script and bible by Chris Mundy, Tom King, and Damon Lindelof.” King, of course, is infamous in DC comic book circles as a prolific writer, and Lindelof is no stranger to DC after reinterpreting Alan Moore’s Watchmen for HBO.
Do we want a logline while we wait for more specifics? Why not:
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.
Release Date
Don’t expect this series to pop right into existence. 2026 looks like the most likely bet, which is fine because Gunn surely does not want to flub the DCU’s debut.
Trailer
No way, man. However, this seems like an optimal time to remind everyone that Ryan Reynolds realized that his Hal Jordan run was never meant to be.
