DC Studios and HBO have announced today that Aaron Pierre will play John Stewart in Lanterns. Kyle Chandler was recently cast as Hal Jordan, though the expectation is that Pierre will eventually be the DCU's main Green Lantern.
Nathan Fillion was previously cast as Guy Gardner in Superman.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the hunt for John came down to Pierre and Stephan James. They both took part in screen tests alongside Chandler on Thursday and Friday and while each "had their boosters," a final decision was made yesterday.
Pierre currently stars as the lead in Jeremy Saulnier's Rebel Ridge which debuted on Netflix on September 6 and was the #1 title worldwide on Netflix for three weeks in a row. In December, Aaron will take on the titular role of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins' animated Lion King prequel for Disney.
The actor was most recently seen leading the NatGeo series Genius: MLK/X, as civil rights leader Malcolm X, Garth Davis' Foe alongside Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan, Clement Virgo's Brother, and Barry Jenkins' award-winning limited series The Underground Railroad. Pierre is currently filming The Morning Show.
Marvel Studios' loss is also DC's gain as he was previously cast in Blade alongside Mahershala Ali before the script evolved and he was written out of the long-delayed project.
After Jeff Sneider incorrectly named James as the frontrunner for Lanterns' John Stewart, scooper @MyTimeToShineHello was first to share the news of Pierre's casting earlier today.
Check out Gunn's comments on the news below.
DC Studios' Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) is serving as showrunner and executive producer and will write Lanterns with Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and comic book scribe Tom King (Supergirl).
When Lanterns' creative team was first revealed, James Gunn and Peter Safran, as Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of DC Studios, shared a joint statement which read, "We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon and Tom at the helm."
"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.'"
Lanterns doesn't currently have a confirmed premiere date.