The MCU took over a decade and 23 movies to conclude its Infinity Saga before Marvel and Disney expanded the fictional universe further by adding live-action superhero series to the mix, beginning with Phase Four. The upcoming DCU reboot, led by Peter Safran and MCU veteran James Gunn, isn’t likely to follow in its competitor’s steps, thanks to Gunn’s intimate knowledge of Marvel’s internal processes and IP treatments. Thus, it seems that the upcoming Chapter One: Gods and Monsters will set the stage for its crossover events by using different media formats soon.
In other words, Gunn has already announced ten different DCU projects, including live-action movies and series. The latter also includes a Green Lantern project, titled Lanterns, which is going to be an eight-episode HBO series following two Green Lanterns, the veteran Hal Jordan and rookie John Stewart, as they take on an Earth-based murder mystery. Since then, Lanterns has had some interesting developments, especially on the casting front. However, not much is known about the narrative of the upcoming series.
From what we know so far about the Lanterns from the comics and what little we know about the series narrative, The Green Lantern Corps is basically a cosmic police organization, and the upcoming narrative will be a detective story “very much in the vein of True Detective,” at least according to Peter Safran. Sadly, nothing else is known about the narrative at this point, but there are a couple of interesting points when it comes to casting and character appearances in different live-action IPs tied to Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.
Namely, since the series is most likely going to delve into the lives and powers of multiple wearers of the Green Lantern ring and provide a fresh take on the IP, we can expect to meet several other Lanterns besides just Hal Jordan and John Stewart. We have already met the latter in the DC Animated Universe, particularly Justice League and its subsequent animated series, and in the short-lived Green Lantern animated series, which also featured Kilowog and Guy Gardner as the Lanterns. This leaves us with the empty slot for the live-action release.
Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps weren’t really fortunate on that front if we take Ryan Reynold’s horrendous Green Lantern movie from 2011 (which is probably one of the worst superhero movies ever made) — Reynolds himself spares no opportunity to ridicule the film. But considering that he’s armed with plenty of knowledge when it comes to massive franchises, James Gunn’s iteration of different Green Lanterns in a serialized live-action format might just be a breath of fresh air.
On the casting side, actors Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre have been officially cast as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively. Hal Jordan is the best-known wearer of the Green Lantern ring, having inherited his from a dying member of the Green Lantern Corps, and Chandler is set to portray an older and wiser version of the character. John Stewart, on the other hand, is the third active Green Lantern in the comics, alongside Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner, and probably one of the noblest humans ever to wear the magic power ring.
The only casting we still haven’t mentioned is Nathan Fillion, who has been cast to portray Guy Gardner in the upcoming Superman movie. His appearance in the upcoming show hasn’t been confirmed, but considering that the show is featuring multiple Lanterns, adding him to the mix makes sense. The fact that Lanterns cast its primary characters suggests that Safran and Gunn have approved the script for the show, and DC Studios is preparing to shift the gear into production speed.
Today it was announced Kelly Macdonald is joining the cast. According to Variety, Macdonald will star as Sheriff Kerry, who is described as “a no-nonsense woman deeply devoted to her family and close-knit town. Her resilience, shaped by a complex past that’s hardened her resolve, anchors her when the community’s secrets begin to surface.” She will also serve as a love interest for Hal Jordan.
No official date has been announced yet, and considering that November is upon us, it’s entirely possible that the filming won’t begin by January 2025. If that’s the case, it should conclude by the summer of 2025, and if we account for the amount of VFX work Lanterns would require and the fact that Superman: Legacy and Creature Commandos are scheduled for 2025, we could expect the series to drop by 2026. If that happens, it will join Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II on Max, which has become a one-stop-shop for DC content.
Please note that the above is speculation, and, without any official confirmation by the parties involved in the project, all details associated with the plot and release date should be taken with a grain of salt. Lanterns is set to become the first live-action release following 2011’s Green Lantern, which, despite being outright bad, still provides moviegoers with a decent introduction intro to the world of Green Lantern and the Green Lantern Corps. However, the movie isn’t currently streaming (as nobody wants it); those interested can still buy it on Blu-Ray or VOD.