James Gunn shares a first look at your new Lanterns in brightest day

Stay tuned to see what they look like in darkest night.

By Mary Kate Carr | February 27, 2025 | 3:11pm

Screenshots: The Kelly Clarkson Show; TODAY (YouTube)

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James Gunn shares a first look at your new Lanterns in brightest day

Have to admit, if we had to pick two handsome, sturdy guys to protect our quadrant under the auspices of the Green Lantern Corps., we couldn’t ask for better than Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler. Seeing the two of them together in HBO’s Lanterns first look (below) reinforces the notion. No, they’re not getting up to any superheroing in the photo; besides a glimpse of the ring on Chandler’s finger, you wouldn’t even know these guys were DC characters. But hey, they look a lot cooler than Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and his goofy-ass haircut in the Superman Puppy Bowl promo.

James Gunn revealed this Lanterns first look on social media, posting, “Excited that #Lanterns is now in production. DC Studios’ new show for @HBO and Max, from creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, & [Tom King], starring Kyle Chandler & Aaron Pierre, is something really special.”

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Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan in HBO’s Lanterns. Photo: John P. Johnson/HBO

The fact that Pierre and Chandler look like two regular (albeit Hollywood-handsome) dudes in the photo is kind of the point. Gunn has been pitching this show as True Detective but with Green Lanterns. According to the logline from HBO, 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.” This fits into DC Studios’ reported strategy of straddling different genres—Lanterns as a detective drama, Clayface as B-horror, and Superman as traditional action blockbuster.

“From the start, our driving force has been to deliver a layered drama – rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building – that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion,” Lanterns executive producer and showrunner Chris Mundy said in a statement via press release. “The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.”