Superheroes aren't the force to be reckoned with they used to be. Once upon a time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was unbeatable; it was all anyone was talking about or paying to see. Its fortunes have flagged in more recent years, but Warner Bros. Discovery is hoping to revive superhero mania with a rebooted DC Cinematic Universe. James Gunn and Peter Safran are readying new movies about Superman and Supergirl, and let's not forget that there are more Batman movies starring Robert Pattinson on the way. This will happen! This will happen if it's the last thing Hollywood ever does!
HBO is getting in on the fun, too. They're already making a show about the Batman villain the Penguin, with Colin Farrell rehashing his role from The Batman. And now, HBO has announced that Damon Lindelof — who established his TV bona fides on shows like Lost, Watchmen and Mrs. Davis — will be heading up Lanterns, a new show about the Green Lantern corps.
The Green Lanterns are an important part of the DC Universe but not as well known as Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman. They've basically intergalactic cops armed with rings that let them manifest in the physical world anything they can think, although the comics usually follow one main Green Lantern at a time. This new show will revolve around two Green Lanters: Hal Jordon — the Green Lantern played by Ryan Reynolds in the widely panned 2011 movie — and John Stewart, an African American Green Lantern who got widespread attention after appearing in animated DC TV shows like Justice League in the 2000s. According to the official logline, they will be "drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland."
Everything we know about Lanterns on HBO
We don't know who will play either of the characters yet, but we do that HBO ordered Lanterns straight to series. The first episode will be eight episodes long.
In a statement, James Gunn and Peter Safran confirmed that this show will be part of the new DC Cinematic Universe they're building, which may sound exciting or exhausting depending on your point of view. "John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and LANTERNS brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with ‘Superman.’”
The new Superman movie will star David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan as Superman and Lois Land respectively. That will be the first new DC thing released under this banner, so expect Lanterns to come along sometime after that. Lindelof will manage the show alongside Chris Mundy and Tom King.
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