After years of development, the DCU’s Green Lantern series is finally picking up steam. It’s been around five years since the Arrowverse’s Greg Berlanti began working on a Green Lantern show for HBO Max, now known as Max. That show would have followed Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan, played by Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine, but Warner Bros. scrapped it just as James Gunn and Peter Safran became heads of the newly created DC Studios.
Gunn and Safran weren’t responsible for scrapping Berlanti’s Green Lantern show, but they did opt to throw out all the scripts and rewrite the whole project to be something completely different. When the two new heads of DC announced the DCU lineup, the Green Lantern show was confirmed to be a major part of Gunn’s plans under the new title Lanterns. The series will debut early on in DC Studios’ new universe as a seminal television show connecting to many other DCU projects to come.
Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on April 14, 2025: HBO’s Lanterns series is getting closer and closer. The series is a part of James Gunn’s new DCU, introducing the iconic Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart. There have been several major updates regarding this series in the last few months, and we’ve collected each of these details for your convenience. This article is updated with the latest information and to adhere to the current CBR’s publication standards.
What Is the Premise of the DCU's Lanterns Series?
Lanterns Will Be a Space Detectives Story
James Gunn has teased that the Green Lantern show will be a True Detective-style thriller that will follow Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The two leading Lanterns get drawn into a dark mystery as they investigate a murder on Earth. Hal and John will not be traditional superheroes in Lanterns, as they will act more like space detectives, and the mystery they’re working to uncover is at the heart of the show’s premise. The reason for Hal and John teaming up is not that they both originate from Earth but that the murder takes place in their space sector, which means it’s their duty to solve all major problems like this that could threaten the planet.
In a joint statement, the DC Studios heads proclaimed, «John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.” It seems Lanterns will have a big role to play as one of the first live-action DCU shows with the central mystery somehow tying into the greater story of the DCU. The villain will be an «ancient horror» whose actions could cause a serious threat to the DC universe.
Lanterns Has Moved to HBO
The DCU Series Won't Be a Streaming Exclusive
Lanterns was announced as a Max Original destined for Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service. It has now been moved to HBO as part of WBD’s new strategy to put their more prestigious, high-budget shows on the cable outlet. Lanterns joins the Harry Potter reboot and IT prequel Welcome to Derry as they all move to HBO with the hope that the shows will perform more like Game of Thrones than recent Max TV shows. All of these shows, including Lanterns, will debut on HBO before releasing subsequently on Max. This seems like a sensible financial move from WBD, as Lanterns will have the prestigious HBO tag while being available shortly afterward to those who only subscribe to Max.
Given the True Detective comparisons, it’s fitting that Lanterns will premiere on HBO, as it’s been teased that the quality of the DCU show, along with the story, will be similar to True Detective. Lanterns will be one the first of many DCU shows to air on the cable network as WBD looks to shift all of its high-budget shows there. It’s unlikely that other live-action DCU shows will air exclusively on Max anymore beyond Peacemaker Season 2 and animated shows such as Creature Commandos.
When Will Lanterns Release?
The DCU Series Is Expected in 2026
There is no official release date for the Green Lantern TV series yet. But the DCU project is seemingly moving along at a fast pace, as there has been an uptick in news regarding the Green Lantern show. With scripts being finalized, it seems an announcement of when shooting will start is imminent, although other DCU projects like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow seem further along. Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 are slated to be released in 2025, while Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is the only DCU project with a confirmed 2026 release date, so others need to join it. If Lanterns is the next live-action project to shoot after Milly Alcock’s Supergirl solo movie, which is rumored to film this fall, that would mean the series would release sometime in 2026.
Lanterns has been confirmed to consist of eight episodes, which seems to be the go-to number of episodes for Gunn’s DC shows, as Peacemaker Season 1 had the same number. It will likely air weekly as the show would follow HBO’s usual release formula. This means that DC fans will be treated to eight weeks of Green Lantern greatness as Hal Jordan and John Stewart uncover the truth behind the mysterious murders at the hands of an ancient force.
Who are the Creatives Working on the HBO Show?
The Creator Behind Ozard and True Detective Is Working on Lanterns
Along with the announcement that Lanterns was moved to HBO, Gunn and Safran announced the creative team working on the series. Chris Mundy was confirmed as the showrunner for Lanterns; his extensive experience in high-end television series will be extremely valuable. Mundy is known for being the showrunner and writer on Ozark, as well as working on recent episodes of True Detective, which is fitting given the direct influence the HBO detective drama will have on Lanterns. Mundy is joined by Damon Lindelof, known for co-creating Lost and Watchmen, who co-wrote Lanterns. The shared experience between the two creatives is astounding, as well as the bonus of them being used to HBO-style storytelling. Also, Lindelof brings an eye for superhero television after the huge success that was Watchmen. Having the Watchmen and Ozark showrunners on the Green Lantern series is great recruitment, as it’s just what the show needed.
Rounding out the Lanterns team is comic book writer Tom King, who has partnered with Mundy and Lindelof on the screenplays as presumably the go-to source of comic inspiration. King is more than a comic book consultant as he’s listed as the third co-writer for what Casey Bloys, CEO of HBO and Max content, has claimed to be «the first new live-action series» that will mark «an exciting new era.» It looks like Lanterns will be the first original DCU show to air after Peacemaker Season 2 based on Bloy’s comments. With a fantastic team full of creative talent, Lanterns is gearing up to be a top-quality series that will get started soon and establish the television side of Gunn and Safran’s new DC universe.
Will the Lanterns Debut in the DCU Before the Show?
A Green Lantern Will Appear in Superman
The buddy-cop duo of John Stewart and Hal Jordan won’t be the first Green Lanterns to debut in DCU. Nathan Fillion is portraying Guy Gardner, arguably the third most popular Green Lantern from the comics, in James Gunn’s Superman movie. Fillion appears in the early promotional material for the film sporting Gardner’s iconic red-haired, bowl-cut look. Gardner will not wear a traditional green and black Green Lantern costume in Superman, but instead, Fillion is seen wearing a largely white suit with a Lord Tech logo on it as well as a Green Lantern logo. It remains to be seen whether Gardner is a fully-fledged member of the Green Lantern Corps, as it seems his allegiance lies with Maxwell Lord and the other heroes like Hawkgirl, who was spotted on set wearing a similar costume.
Gunn has previously stated that Fillion’s Guy Gardner would appear «in all parts of the DCU,» which has led fans to logically conclude that the actor could reprise his role in Lanterns. Gardner will introduce fans to the DCU’s interpretation of the Green Lantern Corps before Hal and John take over as they lead Lanterns. There is space for other Green Lanterns like Gardner to appear in the upcoming DCU series, but given the contained nature of the show, it’s unlikely that he will play a huge part in the story as the main focus remains on Hal and John.
Who Will Star in Lanterns?
John Stewart and Hal Jordan Have Been Cast
At long last, the DCU has found its main Green Lanterns. While Nathan Fillion will portray Guy Gardner in Superman, the DCU series will focus more on the partnership between John Stewart and Hal Jordan, alternative members of the Green Lantern Corps. After months of fan speculation, DC has officially confirmed that Aaron Pierre will play John Stewart in Lanterns. Pierre rose to prominence for his lead role in Netflix’s hit action-thriller Rebel Ridge last year. More recently, Pierre voiced the titular character in Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to 2019’s The Lion King, which is itself a remake of the 1994 film of the same name. Kyle Chandler will play Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern who Ryan Reynolds previously portrayed in the infamous 2011 movie. Given that Chandler is almost thirty years older than Pierre, it seems that the Stewart-Jordan partnership will be a pupil-mentor relationship. In the future, John Stewart may even take over as the DCU’s main Green Lantern.
DC has also confirmed several members of Lanterns’ supporting cast, in addition to Pierre and Chandler. Ulrich Thomsen will play Sinestro, a former Green Lantern who defected from the corps and now works as a free agent. Boardwalk Empire’s Kelly Macdonald will portray Kerry, a small-town sheriff who finds herself drawn into the Green Lanterns’ adventure. Fear the Walking Dead’s Garrett Dilahunt will play the morally ambiguous cowboy William Macon and Kelly’s father-in-law. Jason Ritter will play Kelly’s husband, Billy, while Sherman Augustus and Nicole Ari Parker will play John Stewart’s parents. Rounding out the cast will be Poorna Jagannathan as the cunning Zoe and Chris Coy as the mysterious Waylon Sanders.
What Else Do We Know About Lanterns?
Lanterns Will Play a Key Role in the DCU
James Gunn and the creative team behind Lanterns have let very few details about the new HBO series slip to the public. However, with filming for the first season underway, fans are sure to learn new facts about the upcoming DCU project. The cast of characters and their brief descriptions offer insight into Lanterns’ story. It seems that much of the series will take place on Earth, though its characters will most likely make some trips to outer space to visit the Lantern Corps headquarters of Oa. The Macon family also seems to play a significant role in Lanterns, though exactly how they connect to Hal Jordan and John Stewart has yet to be seen.
Lanterns’ main villain has yet to be confirmed, but it seems likely that Sinestro will fill this role. The character is one of Green Lantern’s most prominent enemies in the comics. However, fans expect Lanterns will build Sinestro out as an overarching villain throughout multiple seasons. As such, the first season may only feature Sinestro sparingly, introducing another, as-yet-unannounced villain who will function as the primary villain therein.
