James Gunn’s new DC universe is continuing to take shape, and Lanterns will introduce us to Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart and Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan. The series is going to be more grounded than you might expect from a Green Lantern story, though, following the two of them as they investigate a murder in Nebraska. That doesn’t mean the show is going to be dour, though.
In speaking with Collider, director John Hawes said the series would put plenty of emphasis on humor.
“There is a very particular humor that they brought to this. It’s very rooted in a way that I like to think we achieve with Slow Horses, that I achieve with things like my Black Mirror’s, and yet there is a rich vein of humor running through it,” he explained. “So, again, it was about that tone. I’m such a huge fan of Damon [Lindelof] and Chris [Mundy] and the writing that they’ve done in the past.”
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Lindelof and Mundy developed the series with comics writer Tom King, and Mundy is currently serving as the showrunner. Hawes, for his part, has worked on both Black Mirror and Slow Horses and has other TV credits including Doctor Who and Penny Dreadful.
Hawes was also quick to reassure viewers that, even though Lanterns is a fairly grounded approach to a Green Lantern story, that doesn’t mean they’re shying away from the more fantastical elements inherent in the character.
“It doesn’t lack its sci-fi magic, but it’s done in a world where you accept that these things just are. They don’t need that extra sprinkle of sci-fi fairy dust. It works within a physical world that we’ve come to know,” he explained.
Lanterns should debut on HBO and Max sometime in early 2026.