Cancelled ‘Green Lantern’ Series Concept Art Reveals the Space Epic HBO Max Never Built
The cancelled ‘Green Lantern‘ series remains one of the great what-ifs of recent DC history. It was a big-budget space saga that vanished before a single frame reached audiences. With ‘Lanterns’ now on HBO Max after its August 16 premiere, fans have had plenty of reason to wonder what the earlier version might have looked like.
The earlier project was first announced back in 2019, with Greg Berlanti producing and a plan to follow an array of Green Lanterns across several decades. Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine had been cast as Guy Gardner and Alan Scott, and showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith had written all eight episodes of the first season. Then the whole thing was scrapped.
Now the first concept art from that abandoned show has surfaced online, and it arrives with a surprising amount of detail. According to a widely shared images from Screen Rant, the series would have unfolded across 2 time periods, following Alan Scott in 1941 and Guy Gardner in 1984.
The artwork itself is striking. One image shows a squad of Lanterns, human and alien alike, bracing for battle as glowing green constructs, including shields and blades, crackle around them. Another shows a Lantern in a sleek, armored-looking suit with a planet glowing behind him, a very different look from the 2011 film’s costume.
First concept art from the cancelled ‘GREEN LANTERN’ series. • Would have took place in 2 time periods – Alan Scott in 1941 and Guy Gardner in 1984 • Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Kilowog & Sinestro would’ve been in the series + a new Lantern character Bree Jarta • The Manhunters were planned to be the primary villains • Seth Grahame-Smith was set to serve as showrunner with Marc Guggenheim in the writers room (Source: https://t.co/z80f0pGcdc)
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 7, 2026
The cast of characters described in the post is stacked. Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Kilowog and Sinestro would all have appeared, alongside a brand-new Lantern named Bree Jarta. Earlier reports had already placed Cruz and Baz among the Lanterns the show would follow, and a newcomer named Bree Jarta had been rumored as part of the lineup.
The Manhunters were planned as the primary villains. Grahame-Smith was set to serve as showrunner, with Marc Guggenheim in the writers room. It is a notably cosmic lineup for a show that was meant to bounce between wartime and the 1980s.
The collapse came during a period of upheaval. Regime changes at Warner Bros. Discovery, including the ousting of executive Walter Hamada, opened the door for the show to be redeveloped around Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Grahame-Smith left the project as a result.
Guggenheim has since explained how far apart the two sides were. Speaking to Popverse, he described his team’s goal as “a multi-generational two-timeline space epic.” He said HBO’s notes kept steering toward a grittier detective-style mystery instead.
He also said production designer Francois Audouy had created designs for Oa, the Lanterns and the way the constructs worked. That lines up with the polished, cinematic feel of the newly circulated images. Guggenheim added that the team had stages, a director and some cast lined up before the plug was pulled.
The cast felt the loss too. Irvine, who was set to play Alan Scott, told The Direct that he was “so gutted” when he learned the show wouldn’t happen. He added that he hopes to work with James Gunn someday.
In a twist, the villains planned for the lost series have made it to the screen anyway. ‘Lanterns’ follows Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart as two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark mystery while investigating a murder in the U.S. heartland. The show’s trailer teased the Manhunters as the series’ true villains and introduced Sinestro.
In the comics, the Guardians created the Manhunters to keep the galaxy safe before establishing the Green Lantern Corps. That shared villain is a fascinating link between the two projects. Even so, the cancelled version’s 2-timeline structure, its sprawling Lantern roster and its 1941 setting would have made for a very different kind of superhero show.
Whatever the final verdict on the road not taken, this first look suggests it would have been a visual feast. It also adds another chapter to the long, winding history of DC’s Lantern ambitions on television.
Which version of Green Lantern would you have preferred?
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