It’s no secret that 2011’s Green Lantern failed to impress critically and commercially, but this DC Comics property is finally getting another shot to shine in live-action. Lanterns, the Green Lantern series set in the DC Universe, has begun filming, and the start of principal photography has been commemorated by our first look at Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart. While that picture is most welcome, what really’s grabbed my attention is how Lanterns fits into the wider DCU landscape.
How Kyle Chandler And Aaron Pierre Look In Lanterns
While we’re still a ways off from seeing how Chandler’s Hal and Pierre’s John will look in their Green Lantern uniforms, at least we now know what civilian clothing they’ll be wearing when Lanterns begins.
If it wasn’t for the Green Lantern ring on Kyle Chandler’s finger, you wouldn’t be faulted for not knowing what series him and Aaron Pierre are starring in. Still, this is a solid way to let fans know that Lanterns has begun rolling cameras. The upcoming DC TV show will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart being “drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” Think True Detective, but with two intergalactic cops who can wield the emerald energy of willpower.
Lanterns Isn’t Closely Tied With The Deeper DCU Lore… For Now
In addition to this picture, Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy also chatted with Vanity Fair about what viewers can expect from the series, which will follow Peacemaker Season 2 on the DCU’s live-action small screen front. This quote in particular caught my eye from the man who previously shepherded Ozark:
We’re not part of a larger storytelling plan right now. Season one is designed to be its own, complete season of television that, hopefully, will become many seasons of television.
So I’m intrigued and a little perplexed by this statement. When the DCU’s Chapter One slate was announced in January 2023, DC Studios co-head Peter Safran said said that the mystery that Hal and John are investigating “plays a really big role leading us into the main story that we’re telling across our film and television.” But now Chris Mundy is saying Lanterns will be separate from the other DCU movies and TV shows.
This may just be a case of the creative goal for the project needing to be adjusted, but I’m still hoping that there will come a day when some kind of connective thread that ties into the deeper DCU lore. It also leaves me wondering if we’ll actually see Nathan Fillion reprising Guy Gardner, the Green Lantern in this summer’s Superman, appearing or not. As for Lanterns’ overall story, Chris Mundy has this to say:
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.
Mundy is working alongside Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Tom King and Lost and The Leftovers co-creator Damon Lindelof on Lanterns. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre’s co-stars include Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan and Ulrich Thomsen, who’s playing Sinestro. Just like with The Penguin, Lanterns will first air on HBO, then become available to stream with a Max subscription.
Lanterns doesn’t have a specific release date yet, but Peter Safran and James Gunn, the other DC Studios head, said earlier this month they expect it to be ready for early 2026. Next year will also bring the upcoming DC movies Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Clayface.
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