Lanterns: key information
– Third TV show to arrive as part of the DC Universe (DCU)
– Expected to be released in early 2026
– No trailer revealed yet
– Main cast confirmed
– Other actors rumored to appear
– Will introduce two more Green Lanterns to the DCU
– Plot brief unveiled in mid-2025
– Showrunner hopes it’ll run for multiple seasons
– Unclear how it’ll impact the overarching narrative of DCU Chapter One
Lanterns is set to *ahem* light the way for a raft of DC Universe (DCU) projects that’ll arrive next year. Billed as a sci-fi detective TV series, it’s due to be released in early 2026, meaning it’ll be the next DCU production to land on our screens.
Before it launches, you’ll want the lowdown on what we know about the HBO Max TV Original. In this guide, I’ve rounded up the latest information on the Green Lantern-starring show, including my release date prediction, its confirmed cast and plot synopsis, and when a first teaser might be unveiled.
So, put on your Green Lantern ring, tell everyone to beware of your power, and let’s dive in.
Lanterns release date prediction
Excited that #Lanterns is now in production. DC Studios’ new show for @HBO and Max, from creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, & @TomKingTK, starring Kyle Chandler & Aaron Pierre, is something really special. @StreamOnMax @dcofficial pic.twitter.com/fODPG3MF1cFebruary 27, 2025
Lanterns doesn’t have a confirmed launch date yet. However, during a February 2025 press event (as reported by Deadline), DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran said they were confident it would premiere in early 2026.
As for when I think it’ll debut on HBO Max – and, hopefully, in regions on other platforms where one of the best streaming services hasn’t launched yet – I’m predicting a March 2026 arrival.
I have no insider knowledge, but I bet the next Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, will arrive in January alongside The Pitt season 2. If they end in late February and/or early March, Lanterns should have an unimpeded run at being the big dog on HBO and its streaming sister.
With New York Comic-Con around the corner, it’s possible an actual release date could be confirmed sooner rather than later. At the time of writing, though, there’s no official word on whether that’ll happen, so we might not know the launch date for a few months yet.
Lanterns trailer: is there one?
No. Ordinarily, trailers for new HBO TV shows aren’t released until a couple of months before they air, so we might not see one for Lanterns until December 2025 or January 2026.
It’s always possible that a teaser could be released earlier than anticipated. As with its launch date, New York Comic-Con would be an ideal time to debut it. I can’t see that happening, though – in fact, it’s more likely that a trailer could be shown at Brazil Comic-Con (CCXP) in December.
When a teaser eventually drops online, I’ll update this section.
Lanterns cast: confirmed and rumored
Potential spoilers follow for Lanterns.
Here’s the confirmed cast of Lanterns – those who’ve been announced by DC Studios, anyway – so far:
- Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
- Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
- Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner
- Ulrich Thomsen as TBC
- Kelly Macdonald as TBC
- Garret Dillahunt as TBC
- Poorna Jagannathan as TBC
Of the above septuplet, Pierre and Chandler’s involvement in Lanterns was confirmed in October 2024. The duo is set to play two fan-favorite versions of Green Lantern, too, with Pierre as John Stewart and Chandler as Hal Jordan.
Meanwhile, Fillion’s Guy Gardner is set to appear in his third DCU project after 2025’s Superman movie and Peacemaker season 2. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly (EW), Fillion said Gardner will be “a little bit higher strung” in this show than in the previous two projects.
They might not be the only Green Lanterns who show up, either. During the DCU Chapter One line-up’s full reveal in January 2023, Gunn said, “we have a few other Lanterns peppered in there”, so place your bets now on other members of the Green Lantern Corps. we’ll see.
There are a lot – and I mean a lot – of other actors who are either confirmed to appear (per a Warner Bros. press release), but whose roles haven’t been publicly identified, or only rumored to be involved. So, strap in, because we’re about to discuss them all.
For starters, Lanterns‘ primary antagonist is expected to be Sinestro. A former Green Lantern who was relieved of his duties for abusing his power, Sinestro has been a long-time foe of the Green Lantern Corps. In January, Deadline claimed Ulrich Thomsen had been cast as the supervillain. While Gunn and co. haven’t officially ratified this, the Danish actor has since confirmed on Instagram that he’ll play Sinestro (see above).
Kelly Macdonald will reportedly play a local sheriff named Kerry (per Variety), while Poorna Jagannathan has been tapped to play Zoe, with Deadline suggesting she’ll be John Stewart’s love interest. Deadline also reported that Garret Dillahunt was involved as modern-day cowboy William Macon, but Variety has since indicated that the role has gone to Jason Ritter. It’s unclear, then, who Dillahunt will play.
Elsewhere, Deadline believes J. Alphonse Nicholson will portray a younger version of Stewart’s father. Deadline also claimed Jasmine Cephas Jones will portray a younger iteration of Stewart’s mother, which suggests Lanterns will include flashbacks to John’s childhood. Present-day versions of Stewart’s parents will apparently be played by Sherman Augustus (again, per Deadline) and Nicole Ari Parker (via Variety).
But wait, there’s more. Chris Coy is on board as a nervous truck driver called Waylon (per Deadline), and, in another exclusive, Deadline claimed Paul Ben-Victor has signed on to play Antaan, an alien “devoted to exposing the truth and exacting vengeance against those who wronged his people”. Lastly, Deadline has also signalled that Cary Christopher will play a charming, small-town boy called Noah.
Lanterns story synopsis and speculation
A little sneak peak at Aaron Pierre as John Stewart in #Lanterns I still want to see a look of both Hal Jordan & John Stewart in their costumes, 🙏 pic.twitter.com/4Dt2vZeGFMAugust 31, 2025
Potential spoilers follow for Lanterns.
Here’s Lanterns‘ official logline: “The series 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.”
Not a lot to go on, then, but we do have some extra details about the DCU Chapter One TV series.
For one, Lanterns‘ chief creative team comprises a trio of top writers: Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen), Chris Mundy (Ozark), and Tom King. King is a prominent comic book scribe best known for penning Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which the DCU’s forthcoming Supergirl film is heavily inspired by.
The group’s collective genre works will be integral to the tone and style of Lanterns, too. Described as a space cop version of True Detective, aka one of the best HBO Max shows, by Gunn (per EW), Lindelof’s ‘new weird’ sci-fi sensibilities, coupled with Mundy’s penchant for crime thrillers and King’s comic book expertise, will feel right at home in this DCU production.
Elaborating further on that premise, cinematographer James Hawes told The Hollywood Reporter (THR) that “in many ways, [it’s] a buddy cop structure… that is really sophisticated”. Alongside True Detective, Hawes named No Country for Old Men and Fargo as notable Americana-like influences on the eight-part series.
As for who’ll be the true star of the show, Gunn told CBS Mornings (see above) that John Stewart is its main character. Per EW, Stewart will be the Lantern Corps’ newest recruit, and Jordan, one of the intergalactic space cop agency’s best, will be tasked with training him. A Vanity Fair piece also states Jordan is eyeing retirement as a Green Lantern, hence the need for Stewart to replace him.
As part of that Vanity Fair article, Mundy revealed it won’t be a wholly superhero affair. “It’s a series that explores who these guys are when they’re on the job and when they’re out of uniform”, he says, so we’ll definitely see Jordan and Stewart’s civilian lives alongside their superpowered responsibilities.
Like Peacemaker, this DCU entry won’t be family-friendly. Considering the murder mystery at the center of its narrative, that’s a given, but other mature content will be part of the proceedings, too. As Fillion told EW: “I’ve dropped more F-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together”. Expect Lanterns to lean more into adult-only territory than what passes for a PG-13 TV show.
Will there be a second season of Lanterns?
Showrunner Chris Mundy says LANTERNS needs no DCU homework:“We’re not part of a larger storytelling plan right now. Season 1 is designed to be its own, complete season of television that, hopefully, will become many seasons of television.” pic.twitter.com/lTrMk8bGSdAugust 15, 2025
Nothing’s confirmed yet, but speaking to Vanity Fair, Mundy outlined his hope for more seasons down the road.
“We’re not part of a larger storytelling plan right now, he said. “Season one is designed to be its own, complete season of television that, hopefully, will become many seasons of television”. If you want Lanterns to be a multi-season project, then, you’d better tune in when it’s released.
How will Lanterns impact the rest of the DCU?
Right now, the potential impact of one of the most exciting DCU Chapter One movies and TV shows on future productions is unclear. As Mundy mentioned above, Lanterns is currently being treated as a standalone story, with very few ties to Gunn and Safran’s nascent cinematic franchise.
Depending on how the series – or, rather, its first season – ends, there might be scope for HBO’s Green Lantern project to lead into other DCU movies and shows. Until it launches, though, we’re none the wiser about what role it may have in fleshing out Warner Bros’ comic book-inspired universe.
For more DCU coverage, read my guides on Supergirl, Clayface, Man of Tomorrow, and Creature Commandos season 2.
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