James Gunn is preparing to launch his new DC Cinematic Universe, with Superman kicking things off in July. Sometime after that, we're get a show about the intergalactic police corps the Green Lanterns. The title of the show? Lanterns. It's about superheroes, not lighting.
Although word is that the show will be less about green-lad aliens flying through the air and more of a grounded drama where the two main characters just happen to have powers. Comparisons to True Detective, another HBO show, have been made. “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," showrunner Chris Mundy said in a statement. "The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.”
Lanterns will center around a pair of famous Green Lanterns: Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) is one of the most prominent Green Lanterns to ever appear in DC Comics, while John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) is a newer character who became known to a wider audience (or at least to me) thanks to the Justice League animated series from the early 2000s. "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," reads the official logline.
Other cast members include Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan and Ulrich Thomsen. In addition to Mundy, the pilot is written by Damon Lindelof and Tom King, both of whom come with impressive pedigrees from the worlds of TV and comics respectively. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes; other directors for the first season include Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov.
HBO likes to share talent between shows, so I'm not too surprised to see Geeta Vasant Patel in this lineup. She directed one of the best episodes of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon: "The Lord of the Tides," aka the one where King Viserys walks slowly towards the Iron Throne:
There's no word on a release date for Lanterns yet. We'll see if Gunn and company can make this big new DC Cinematic Universe thing work.
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