Recent trailer and clips from Lanterns showcases a superhero drama that appears to be embracing its comic book roots, but reportedly, that wasn't always the case.
Hal Jordan actor Kyle Chandler was a recent guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live (Jimmy is currently on his annual summer break and Anthony Anderson is the guest host) and revealed that at one point in the show's existence, Hal Jordan never donned a superhero suit.
When asked about wearing the costume, Chandler disclosed, "They weren't sure that there 'was' going to be a suit, as I understand it. And then towards the end, they decided, 'Let's have a suit.' And then they had to design a suit- they came up with three different designs. Chris Mundy and James Hawes chose the one suit that we went with."
"From there, I went with the designer, [Cynthia] Summers, and I was the mannequin while they created and applied this whole thing in front of me. So I got to watch these artisans do what they do and listen to their vocabulary...long story short, it's an incredible suit. They built something that was just incredible. It took a while [to put on], it's in pieces, it took about 45-minutes to get on...it's almost like you can see the battle scars on it."
Chandler then closed out the segment by revealing his Hal Jordan superhero costume has the same age-old problem that nearly every superhero costume has, in that there's no easy way to go to the bathroom without going through the full 45-minute process of taking everything off.
You can watch Chandler's chat with Anderson below. The Lanterns portion starts at the 09:25 mark.
Lanterns premieres tonight, Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 9:00 p.m. ET. It will air live on HBO and stream simultaneously on HBO Max.
Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. Fans will also see Nathan Fillion reprise his role as the abrasive Guy Gardner, connecting Lanterns to his appearance in Superman.
The stellar cast also includes Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, a pivotal character in the local mystery, while Ulrich Thomsen will portray the iconic rogue Sinestro, Hal Jordan's former mentor.
Other key cast members include Garret Dillahunt as the conspiracy-minded William Macon, Jason Ritter as his charming son Billy, and Nicole Ari Parker as John Stewart's mother, Bernadette.
Back in July 2025, the 8-episode HBO superhero drama wrapped filming are kicking off principal photography in February. The lengthy post-production time is another strong indicator that the series will eventually visit places other than Rushville, Nebraska.
The official synopsis for the series states that the plot centers on a seemingly isolated murder in the American heartland, specifically Nebraska. This local crime will draw the veteran Green Lantern Corps member Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his new recruit, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), into deeper, more sinister revelations.
Lanterns is set to premiere on HBOMax on August 16.
Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen) is on board as a co-creator of the HBO drama, putting him right at the center of the show’s creative direction. He’s joined by Chris Mundy (Hell on Wheels, Low Winter Sun) and Tom King.
Mundy serves as the showrunner for the production while King supplied the initial pitch. Lindelof wrote the pilot and is in charge of overall story development.