Production is underway on Lanterns and P-Valley star J. Alphonse Nicholson is the latest addition to the show's cast. According to Deadline, he will play the father of Aaron Pierre's John Stewart.
However, it sounds like his scenes will primarily be flashbacks as the trade notes, "Nicholson will play the young version of John Senior." This comes shortly after we learned Nicole Ari Parker has been tapped to star as the Green Lantern's mother.
While Hal Jordan will also take centre stage in Lanterns, it's not surprising to learn that we'll explore John's background as he's expected to be the DCU's main Green Lantern moving beyond this Max series.
Nicholson's other screen credits include Just Mercy, They Cloned Tyrone, Mr. Robot, Luke Cage, and Clipped. He reacted to his casting on social media and expressed gratitude for landing the role.
"Aaron is a serious theater actor, yet he also looks like he was built in a lab to be an action star," showrunner Chris Mundy previously said of casting John. "Those two qualities spoke to me. He’s an extremely thoughtful performer with a huge range and the ability to be many things at once, which you need for John Stewart."
"Kyle [Chandler] has that quality in spades," he added. "He’s been so ridiculously good in so many things. He’s also very funny, in a dry wit way, which is important for the character. He’s perfect for the part, and he’s going to make us all look really good, basically."
"The scripts are done, and James [Hawes] is killing it in terms of directing for this first week. We’re getting the scope that we were hoping to get. And Kyle and Aaron are just great together," Mundy continued. "Their chemistry on screen is fantastic and they set a great tone for excellence and camaraderie on set."
"We know we have to deliver great stories for this audience, and what I’ve seen so far bodes well."
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). The cast includes Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro.
Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, and J. Alphonse Nicholson round out the supporting cast.
Lanterns is set to premiere on HBO and Max in 2026.