Lanterns is the new series from HBO and DC Studios. It follows Hal Jordan as he must train John Stewart to be his backup as Earth’s Green Lantern. During their training, they encounter a murder in the rural American town of Rushville, Nebraska. As they investigate it, a darker mystery begins to unfold where they must uncover the truth.
The leads of Hal Jordan and John Stwart are played by veteran television star Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre (Mufasa: The Lion King, Rebel Ridge). Pierre is already filming scenes for James Gunn’s Superman sequel “Man of Tomorrow”, so that should tell you how crucial the character of John Stewart will be to the DCU going forward.
The show features a host of DC characters from the comics, as well as brand new original characters created for the show. So here’s a guide to every character in the show.
Every Character in Lanterns
Hal Jordan — Kyle Chandler
The elder statesman of the two leads, Hal Jordan is a former test pilot and legendary member of the Green Lantern Corps. In the DCU, Hal Jordan is older and approaching retirement, filling in to train John Stewart. A notable change from the comics where Hal and John are usually closer in age. Kyle Chandler is best known as Coach Taylor on Friday Night Lights, and the trailer already shows him bringing considerable dramatic weight to the role as well as some great comedic moments.
John Stewart — Aaron Pierre
Pierre plays John Stewart, one of the most iconic Green Lantern’s and characters in DC history. In the DCU, Stewart is new to the Green Lantern Corps at the start of the series, and Hal Jordan serves as his mentor. Pierre broke through in Netflix’s Rebel Ridge and is now leading one of HBO’s and the DCU’s most anticipated shows.
Guy Gardner — Nathan Fillion
Fillion reprises his role from Superman as Guy Gardner, a fellow member of the Green Lantern Corps and the Justice Gang. In the trailer, Hal jokes that he’s the only human Green Lantern, but clearly that will be proven false because Guy Gardner is confirmed to appear in the show. Having already appeared in Peacemaker Season 2 as well, Guy is becoming a connective thread in James Gunn’s DCU. Fillion has described Gardner as fearless but not good or nice, and he says that he dropped a huge amount of F bombs when filming his scenes for Lanterns, so we cane xpect to see a different side to him from the one in Superman, and more like him in Peacemaker.
Sheriff Kerry — Kelly Macdonald
Macdonald portrays Sheriff Kerry, a woman described as deeply devoted to her family and her small town, which becomes central to the season’s mystery. As the local law enforcement figure in the Nebraska murder investigation, Kerry is likely to be one of the more human anchor of the dramatic part of the story.
Sinestro — Ulrich Thomsen
Thomsen is set to play Sinestro, a former member of the Green Lantern Corps who has since gone rogue. Sinestro is the most significant villain in Green Lantern mythology, having been the antagonist for the 2011 film as well. His inclusion signals that while the season’s central story may be an Earth-based murder mystery, there will be cosmic stakes that potentially serve as the big twist.
William Macon — Garrett Dillahunt
Dillahunt’s William Macon is one of the richest men in the town of Rushville. He invites Hal Jordan to his ranch in Episode 1 after Hal begins investigating the murder at the football game. It remains to be seen whether his character is simply part of the murder mystery, or a large sci-fi inspired twist.
Zoe — Poorna Jagannathan
Jagannathan plays Zoe, William Macon’s wife.
Billy Macon — Jason Ritter
Ritter plays Billy Macon, Sherrif Kerry’s husband, and the son of William Macon. This placing him at the intersection of the local law enforcement storyline and the Macon family.
Antaan — Paul Ben-Victor
Ben-Victor is expected to play Antaan, an extraterrestrial character described as devoted to finding the truth. His alien nature will most likely tie into how the show transforms from a seemingly small-scale Earth-based mystery to a (hopefully) larger cosmic mystery, given the themes of the Green Lantern stories.
Bernadette Stewart — Nicole Ari Parker
Parker has reportedly been cast as Bernadette Stewart, John’s mother, suggesting the show will tell John Stewart’s personal backstory in detail, adding to the emotional depth of him as the central character.
John Stewart Sr. — Sherman Augustus(Old Age) and J. Alphonse Nicholson (Young Age)
Augustus is expected to portray John Stewart Sr., John’s father. This again points to a substantial family storyline running through the season with John as the focal point. J Alphonse Nicholson is expected to feature as the younger version of John Senior, confirming that the show will incorporate flashback sequences.
Waylon Sanders — Chris Coy
Coy is reportedly playing Waylon Sanders, a truck driver whose real identity is described as unknown — a description that reads less like a character note and more like a plot thread. In a murder mystery, an unknown true identity is almost always a feature, not a detail.
Young Noah — Cary Christopher
Christopher is reportedly joining as a guest star playing Young Noah, described as a gifted child known for his prowess on the football field. In a show set in America’s heartland involving a murder mystery, a gifted young athlete whose fate intersects with the central investigation is a well-worn but effective dramatic device.
Laura Linney and Paula Patton — Undisclosed Roles
Both Laura Linney and Paula Patton have reportedly been cast in the series, though their roles have not yet been disclosed. Linney is an award-winning actor, and a notable addition to the cast so it will be interested to learn who she’s playing.
Release Date and DCU Timeline
Lanterns Episode 1 is now streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.
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