HBO Lights Up the Lantern Corps
Studio Orders Green Lantern Series Featuring John Stewart and Hal Jordan
HBO is officially joining forces with the Lantern Corps, as the network has given a straight-to-series order for “Lanterns,” based on the iconic Green Lantern characters John Stewart and Hal Jordan from DC Comics. The eight-episode drama will be helmed by showrunner Chris Mundy (“Ozark”), who will co-write the series with Damon Lindelof (“Watchmen,” “Lost”) and Eisner Award-winning writer Tom King, known for his work on Batman titles, “Mister Miracle,” and “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.”
The green light for “Lanterns” follows nearly five years of development at what was then HBO Max. Initially, the project focused on Green Lanterns Guy Gardner and Alan Scott, with Greg Berlanti, the architect of the DC Arrow-verse on The CW, and one of the writers of the 2011 “Green Lantern” film, at the helm. Seth Grahame-Smith was brought on as writer and showrunner, with Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine cast as Gardner and Scott, respectively.
In 2022, the show underwent a creative overhaul, shifting its focus to John Stewart, the first Black superhero to appear in DC Comics, leading to Grahame-Smith’s departure despite having written a full season’s worth of scripts. This change coincided with Warner Bros. Discovery appointing James Gunn and Peter Safran as the heads of DC Studios, tasked with launching a new DC Universe in film and television.
By early 2023, DC Studios decided to scrap Berlanti’s version in favor of “Lanterns.” Safran noted, “Greg’s vision was more of a space opera. Our vision is more ‘True Detective,’ a terrestrial-based investigation story. We all agreed to part ways.”
Notably, Chris Mundy, who recently worked as an executive producer and writer for HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country,” brings his expertise to “Lanterns.” Mundy also earned five Emmy nominations for his work on Netflix’s “Ozark.”
“We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon, and Tom at the helm,” Gunn and Safran said in a statement. “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.’”
Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, added, “We are elated to be reuniting with both Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof as they partner with Tom for this fresh take on DC’s Green Lantern. As part of James and Peter’s vision for the DC Universe, this first new live-action series will mark an exciting new era.”
“Lanterns” will be produced by Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, with Mundy, Lindelof, and King serving as executive producers and writers.
