James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU is officially off and running. We have movies and TV shows to look forward for the foreseeable future, and some of them are already in the works. Creature Commandos is already streaming on Max. Superman will hit cinemas in July while Peacemaker season two will premiere in August. The next series we have to look forward to doesn’t have a release date as of yet. However, it’s the project we’re maybe the most excited for at the moment. That is, of course, Lanterns, at last a full scale prestige drama series focusing on the oft-overlooked intergalactic police force.
This is everything we know so far about Lanterns.
Title
The title of the series is simply Lanterns. The green is implied, I guess.
Lanterns Plot
In his initial video announcing the DC Studios slate, James Gunn described the show John Stewart and Hal Jordan investigating a “terrifying mystery” that has huge ties to the entire franchise. He likened the “Earthbound” story to True Detective.
Later descriptions include a fuller look at the plot. “Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”
Behind the Scenes
Ozark showrunner and True Detective: Night Country producer Chris Mundy will serve as Lanterns‘ showrunner. Mundy along with comic writer Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) and Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) have written the series pilot and bible.
James Gunn and Peter Safran said of the announcement: “We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon and Tom at the helm. 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.”
“When we first started the DCU, the first couple of weeks of heading this out, we got together with a group of writers, and Tom King was one of those writers, and we were in this room, and we came up with sort of this concept for Lanterns. It’s a much more it’s a very grounded series, a very real series, which is a strange thing to say about a Green Lanterns show. But it’s going to be something like nobody’s ever seen before.”
James Hawes, director of series like Doctor Who, Penny Dreadful, and Black Mirror, will direct the the first two episodes of Lanterns. He, along with the writers above, will serve as executive producers.
Filming is expected to take place from January to June 2025.
Lanterns‘ Cast
The series will focus on the veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan working a case with rookie GL John Stewart. In order to play these roles, DC would need some heavy hitters. And heavy hitters they got! Kyle Chandler (Bloodline, Friday Night Lights) has been cast as Hal Jordan.
To play the role of John Stewart, DC cast Aaron Pierre. Pierre had a big 2025 with both the Netflix thriller Rebel Ridge and as the titular voice in Disney’s not-live-action live action film Mufasa.
“Aaron Pierre is somebody who I’ve wanted to work together with for a long time,” said James Gunn during an NYCC panel. “People don’t know, but he was almost cast as Adam Warlock. He’s an amazing actor, and I just really admired him from the beginning of his career. Seeing him read with Kyle was one of those miraculous moments. I don’t care what they’re saying, I just love what they’re saying together.”
Boardwalk Empire‘s Kelly Macdonald also joins Lanterns as “Sheriff Kerry, a no-nonsense woman deeply devoted to her family and close-knit town. Her resilience, shaped by a complex past that’s hardened her resolve, anchors her when the community’s secrets begin to surface.” According to Deadline, Kelly Macdonald’s character may also “be a potential love interest for Chandler’s Hal Jordan.” Very interesting.
Lanterns‘ Release Date
As of yet, Lanterns has no official release date. However, James Gunn gave us a hint as to when it will likely drop. He intends for the series come out around the same time as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which currently looks to bow in June 2026.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.
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