More than a decade after Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern movie failed to hit with the public, this corner of DC Comics lore is gearing up to be spotlighted in live action once again, albeit in an upcoming DC TV show instead. Lanterns, which will now air on HBO instead of solely being streamable with a Max subscription, is part of the new DC Universe shared continuity, and in recent weeks, there have casting rumors regarding who will play Hal Jordan, one of the leads. Today, however, brings word about the actors who are finalists to play John Stewart, and these are some great choices to play the popular Green Lantern.
Just a few days after it was reported that Kyle Chandler is in talks to play Hal Jordan following Josh Brolin passing on the role, THR has shared that Aaron Pierre and Stephan James are being looked at to bring John Stewart to life. The article also mentions that Snowfall’s Damon Idris was in the mix for the role at one point too, but is no “no longer in contention.” Lanterns will mark John’s first time being depicted in live-action, although Wayne T. Carr was once supposed to play him in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and elements of the character were incorporated into the Arrowverse’s John Diggle.
Aaron Pierre has been getting attention in recent weeks for his leading role in the movie Rebel Ridge, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription, and he’ll also be heard voicing Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King, which opens December 20 on the 2024 release schedule. If Pierre is cast as John Stewart, this would be his second time acting in a DC Comics TV show. He previously played Dev-Em in the short-lived Krypton.
While Stephan James doesn’t have any superhero media experience under his belt just yet, his resume is no less impressive. On the film side of things, his credits include playing John Lewis in Selma, Jesse Owens in Race and Fonny in If Beale Street Could Talk, and he’ll soon be seeing starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington in Netflix’s The Piano Lesson. In TV, James has starred in Homecoming, #FreeRayshawn, Surface and Beacon 23.
Both these men have proven themselves to be stellar talents, so I’d be game to see either of them leave their stamp on John Stewart in Lanterns. The series will follow John, a rookie in the Green Lantern Corps, and Hal, a veteran of this intergalactic police force, investigating a mystery on Earth. Chris Mundy is serving as Lanterns’ showrunner, and he wrote the pilot script with fellow executive producers Damon Lindelof and Tom King.
Per THR, it may be decided whether Pierre or James will play John Stewart by the end of the weekend. Obviously we’ll let you who ends up scoring the role as part of our ongoing coverage of Lanterns and all the other DC Universe projects.
