Lanterns is among the upcoming DC TV shows that will be part of the new DC Universe shared continuity, with viewers getting to see Green Lantern Corps members Hal Jordan and John Stewart “drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” Earlier this month, it was rumored that Josh Brolin had been offered the role of Hal in this Green Lantern series, which will now air on HBO first, then become available to stream with a Max subscription. Word has now come in that Brolin won’t play Hal after all, but I’m still hoping he gets DC redemption someday considering how poorly Jonah Hex turned out.
This latest Lanterns update comes from THR, which shared that Brolin passed on an offer to star as Hal Jordan. Reportedly, the Dune actor received said offer at the end of August, but made up his mind last weekend that he didn’t want to participate in the project. No other details were provided on Brolin’s disinterest in Lanterns, but perhaps we’ll hear in the coming weeks who’s being eyed for the role next.
Considering that Lanterns’ Hal Jordan will be a veteran Green Lantern who’s being paired with rookie John Stewart, I can understand why the show’s team would want someone like Josh Brolin to play him, and an A-list talent of his caliber would certainly help draw more viewers in. Frankly though, part of me is relieved that Brolin passed on Lanterns, as I felt he was a little too old to play Hal, so hopefully whoever is cast in the role is a little younger, yet still at the right age to be believable as a longtime Green Lantern Corps member. All that being said, I’m hoping the DC Universe can find another use for Brolin someday, because I don’t want Jonah Hex to be his one and only DC credit.
Released in 2010, Jonah Hex saw Josh Brolin playing the title character, a disfigured former Confederate soldier-turned-bounty hunter who clashes with John Malkovich’s Quentin Turnbull, the man who killed his family and left him for dead. Also co-starring Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett and Michael Shannon, among others, this movie was a critical and commercial failure. Thankfully though, this didn’t prevent Brolin from carving out a better standing within the superhero media world, as he would later go on to play Thanos in the MCU and Cable in Deadpool 2.
With his time at Marvel done, it would be great to see Brolin get another bite at the DC apple. If Hal Jordan doesn’t appeal to him, maybe he’d be game to play someone like Commissioner James Gordon in The Brave and the Bold. I also have no doubt he’d portray Swamp Thing rather well, and that entity has his own upcoming DC movie lined up. Regardless, Jonah Hex was a mess all around, so my fingers are crossed that DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran find a place for Brolin in the DC Universe, if only to help us further forget about the 2010 movie.
Lanterns is being showrun by Ozark’s Chris Mundy, who’s also executive producing alongside writers Damon Lindelof and Tom King. Filming is tentatively planned to unfold from next January to June in Atlanta, Georgia, so count on it to air sometime in 2026.
