The first look at DC Studios’ Lanterns has been shared.
The official X account for Max released the image (shown above), alongside the following caption: “Kyle Chandler is Hal Jordan. Aaron Pierre is John Stewart. [Lanterns], the new HBO Original Series from DC Studios, is now in production.”
Lanterns was part of the initial DC Universe slate that DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran unveiled in January 2023. HBO handed out a series order to the show, based on the Green Lantern comics, in June 2024. The creative team for Lanterns consists of Damon Lindelof, Tom King, and Chris Mundy, the latter of whom will also serve as showrunner.
What Is Lanterns About?
In conjunction with the new image, Vanity Fair shared some new story details for Lanterns, revealing that Chandler’s Hal Jordan is a “seasoned Lantern approaching retirement” who is training Pierre’s John Stewart to be his replacement. The pair investigate a murder in Nebraska – one that “leads them to still darker mysteries, as well as reckonings.”
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Mundy shared the following about Lanterns:
“I was drawn by the challenge and fun of creating something really grounded inside this big, amazing mythology. From the beginning, all we talked about was how can we take all the things we loved about the source material and turn it into a layered, human HBO drama? Just the idea of trying to pull that off was exciting to me.”
“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.”
The first season of Lanterns will consist of eight episodes. James Hawes will helm the first two episodes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov handling the remainder of the season.
Besides Pierre and Chandler, the Lanterns cast includes Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garrett Dillahunt as William Macon, Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe, and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro.
Lanterns is expected to premiere on HBO in 2026.
Are you excited for the Green Lantern Corps. to receive the HBO treatment?