James Gunn Confirms Which Green Lantern Will be The Heart of the Story in ‘Lanterns’
James Gunn has confirmed that the upcoming Lanterns TV series is mainly John Stewart’s story. Speaking during an interview on CBS Mornings, Gunn gave fans a clearer idea of what to expect from the new DC Universe shows.
He explained that all three well-known Green Lanterns – John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Hal Jordan – will appear, but the story will mostly follow Stewart. Gunn said, “Then we go to Supergirl, and Lanterns, you know, next summer. It’s basically you know John Stewart’s story in a lot of ways. But it’s with those other characters.”
‘Lanterns’ is being produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Television. According to official details, this will be the third TV show in the new DC Universe.
It will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder on Earth. The mystery will reportedly pull them into even darker secrets.
The series is being led by showrunner Chris Mundy. James Gunn and Peter Safran, who became the co-heads of DC Studios in 2022, redeveloped the project after Greg Berlanti’s original plans.
The show was first revealed in January 2023, when it was announced that Lanterns would have a detective-style tone. According to the official details, the style of the series is inspired by crime shows like True Detective and Slow Horses.
Kyle Chandler will play Hal Jordan, while Aaron Pierre takes the role of John Stewart. They’ll be joined by Kelly Macdonald and Nathan Fillion in supporting roles. Mundy is joined by executive producers Tom King and Damon Lindelof, both of whom helped write the pilot episode. James Hawes, known for his work on Slow Horses, is directing the first two episodes. Other directors include Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov.
Filming for Lanterns started in Los Angeles in February 2025 and will continue until July. The show is set to premiere on HBO in early 2026. It will have eight episodes and will be part of Chapter One of the DC Universe, called Gods and Monsters.
In this new version of the Green Lantern story, Hal Jordan is the experienced hero, while John Stewart is the newcomer. Their investigation starts with a murder in Nebraska, but it leads to much bigger problems as the two heroes uncover darker mysteries and secrets that affect the universe.
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