TV SERIES · 2026–present · USA
Lanterns
- Created by
- Damon Lindelof, Tom King, Chris Mundy
- Network
- HBO
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 8
- Studio
- DC Studios, HBO, Warner Bros. Television
16 archived facts 5 topics 4 sources Last reviewed Oct 2026
Two intergalactic cops, new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, are drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
16 Interesting Facts About Lanterns
Interesting Facts (3)
- #001
John Stewart is regarded as an exception in the history of the Corps, as he is the first Lantern chosen by the Guardians of the Universe rather than by a Power Ring.
- #002
Nathan Fillion will appear in the series as Guy Gardner; he described the character here as more tense compared to his introduction in the 2025 film Superman.
- #003
Official song in the trailer is a version of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper", first included in his sixth studio album, "Nebraska" (1982).
Production Story (4)
- #004
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn revealed that this series would be darker in tone compared to other DCU projects, and cited HBO's True Detective (2014) as an inspiration. It would be closer to the Absolute timeline than the regular DC Universe in Earth-1.
- #005
Damon Lindelof felt Kyle Chandler was the right choice to play Hal Jordan, explaining, "He's got the gruff energy, the cynicism, also the nobility, the humor. He's the entire package." However, he expected Chandler to decline the role, "He hasn't done superhero stuff or this kind of genre stuff before. We're never going to get that guy." Chandler was in fact initially hesitant about the project, and asked his wife and daughter to read the script with him. He finally accepted the role at their insistence, recalling, "When we finished, they both literally, at the same time, jumped up off the couch and pointed at me and said, 'You have to do this.'"
- #006
John Stewart's co-creator Neal Adams admitted that he came up with the character's name on the spot, at the insistence of DC's then-editor Julius Schwartz. Years later, Adams joked, "How would I know he'd become a late-night comedian?"
- #007
HBO Max announced in January 2023 that plans for a Green Lantern series produced by Greg Berlanti had been dropped, and the service would instead focus on the announced Lanterns series from James Gunn and Peter Safran. Announced back in 2019, Berlanti's Green Lantern series was originally said to "span several decades and focus on the origin stories of two major Green Lanterns on Earth," and also feature the villain Sinestro. That was changed in late 2022 when it was announced it would instead only focus on Lantern John Stewart. Gunn and Safran's series instead features both John Stewart and Hal Jordan. Gunn described the series as "more of a True Detective (2014)-type mystery. A terrestrial-based mystery that leads into the overall story that we're telling throughout the different movies and television shows [in the DC Universe]. We find this ancient horror on Earth, and these guys are basically super-cops on 'Precinct Earth.'"
Behind the Scenes (2)
- #008
The Power Ring and the Battery Power used by Hal Jordan were created for the series and designed by the concept artist Ed Natividad. The physical appearance were handled by the property master Jeffrey Paul Johnson.
- #009
Hal Jordan's Green Lantern practical suit was made specifically for the series and it doesn't comes from DC Comics. It was created by the costume designer Cynthia Ann Summers.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #010
Aaron Pierre watched Justice League Unlimited (2004) which got him introduced to Green Lantern but never watched Green Lantern (2011) with Ryan Reynolds.
- #011
In this series, Hal Jordan is depicted as John Stewart's mentor. Kyle Chandler (Hal Jordan) is almost thirty years older than Aaron Pierre (John Stewart). In the comics, John Stewart started out as Hal's backup.
Easter Eggs & References (5)
- #012
The Green Lantern symbol used in the series for the Green Lantern suit is not the original from 1959, but the stylized version created by Daniel Gelon for the Vol. 4 of Green Lantern storyline comics (July 2005).
- #013
The Hal Jordan-John Stewart relation pays tribute to Lethal Weapon (1987) but reversing the roles: where Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) was the by-the-book veteran cop and Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) the unorthodox younger, here Jordan is an unorthodox veteran cop and Stewart is a by-the-book younger.
- #014
The motto of Macon Ranch at the entrance is "study the past". It's a hint about a quote of the Chinese philosopher Confucius (5th century BC). It full quote prays: "study the past if you would define the future".
- #015
In the trailer, Hal says that one of the other Green Lanterns is a squirrel. This is a reference to Ch'p, the Green Lantern of sector 1014, whose species resembles squirrels.
- #016
Contains a major spoiler — show
In episode two, a guard shoots Jordan for stepping on to Macon's property and the sheriff states it's within their rights. It is illegal in Nebraska to use deadly force solely for trespassing, therefore it would be illegal for the guard to shoot Jordan.
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Sources for the entries on this page
- Wikipedia Wikipedia (EN)
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work