It’s NOT the hulk, but even though his name wasn’t mentioned with others like Josh Brolin, Ewan McGregor, Matthew McConaughey, and Chris Pine when the possible actors were announced earlier this month, Kyle Chandler has reportedly gotten the co-lead role in DC Studios’ upcoming Lanterns series. According to Deadline, Chandler (Bloodline, Catch 22, Friday Night Lights) is now in talks to play the experienced Green Lantern Hal Jordan, who will mentor the new recruit John Stewart. We also have some new details about the story, which will focus on “John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Chandler), two intergalactic cops caught up in a dark mystery on Earth as they investigate a murder in the heart of America.”
They are currently looking for a younger actor to play Stewart. Stephen Williams (Lost, Watchmen, Westworld) is believed to be in talks to direct the pilot, and Lucy Tcherniak is rumored to be negotiating to direct several episodes. Emmy Award-winning creator Damon Lindelof from Lost and Watchmen is writing the pilot script with Chris Mundy, who worked on Ozark, and comic book writer Tom King. Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson, and Vanessa Baden Kelly are also said to be involved, but this hasn’t been confirmed yet. Production on Lanterns is expected to start in early 2025 in the United Kingdom, which could lead to a release in 2026.
Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, who will first appear in Gunn’s Superman reboot, is expected to have a supporting role in the series. There was a different Green Lantern TV series planned before Gunn and Safran became co-heads of DC Studios. That version was created by Greg Berlanti and would have starred Finn Wittrock as Guy Gardner. Hal Jordan was previously played by Ryan Reynolds in the well-known 2011 Green Lantern movie. THR’s Borys Kit has shared an update that suggests Chandler won’t be moving to the big screen.
“This is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan,” Gunn said of the project when it was first announced. “We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.”
