We had heard that Stephen Williams (Lost, Watchmen, Westworld) was in negotiations to direct the Lanterns pilot, but if this was accurate, talks evidently fell through.
THR is reporting that James Hawes has been tapped to helm the first two episodes of the upcoming DCU series.
Hawes is a British director who has helmed several episodes of Apple TV+'s acclaimed Slow Horses. He has also worked on Showtime’s Penny Dreadful, Spike TV’s The Mist, The Alienist, AMC’s Snowpiercer, and Black Mirror.
He joins a creative team that includes Emmy Award-winning Lost and Watchmen creator Damon Lindelof, Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy and comic book writer Tom King. Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson and Vanessa Baden Kelly are also said to be on board.
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."
Kyle Chandler will play veteran ring-slinging hero Hal Jordan, and casting is currently underway for an actor to play John Stewart. It seems Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre and The Piano Lesson actor Stephan James are still the frontrunners.
Rumor has it that DC Studios approached several other A-list stars with an offer to play Jordan, but there's a perception that the role has been "tainted" by the notorious big-screen Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds. We have no idea if this is true, but it would certainly explain why the likes of Brolin, Chris Pine and Ewan McGregor turned down the opportunity.
Production on Lanterns is currently set to commence in Q1 of 2025 in the United Kingdom, potentially putting the show on track for a 2026 release.
Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, who will make his debut in Gunn's Superman reboot, is expected to have a supporting role in the series.
An earlier Green Lantern TV series was in the works before Gunn and Safran took over as co-heads of DC Studios. That version was created by Greg Berlanti and would have starred Finn Wittrock as Guy Gardner.
Hal Jordan was previously played by Ryan Reynolds in the infamous 2011 Green Lantern movie.
"This is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan," Gunn said of the project when it was first announced. "We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU."