John Stewart: "What do you know about Manhunters?"
Hal Jordan: "Where did you hear that word?"
The latest Lanterns trailer seems to be shifting the conversation around the upcoming superhero HBO Max drama.
The reveal that Hal and John Stewart are investigating an alien murder mystery in a small rural town and that they're looking for shapeshifting Manhunters suddenly put the series' tone and setting in a new light.
Speaking to IGN at San Diego Comic-Con, series co-creators Tom King and Damon Lindelof touched on the show's creation and premise, teasing that the footage might be holding back a ton of surprises as Lanterns will eventually get 'big and crazy.'
On choosing to, at least initially, set the show in a small town, Damon Lindelof stated, "They are very much still space cops, but it's about the idea of where we want the audience to experience their first case? Earth is part of the broader galactic system, and I think most human beings are familiar with other human beings, so before the show gets big and crazy-- no spoilers, because it does, because there's a big broad galaxy out there- we wanted to start with something that was a little more familiar."
He continued, "And Tom, shortly before I came on, sat in a room with James Gunn, Peter Safran, and a number of other comic and television luminaries, and it was his idea to do Green Lanterns as a buddy cop, True Detective kind of setup. Everybody leaned in because that felt like a different way to do it. It was certainly exciting to me."
Following up on James Gunn's involvement with Lanterns and how visually and tonally different it looks from Supergirl, King stated, "Part of James' genius is his trust and faith in hiring the right people. The guy is one of the great casters of all-time, and I don't just mean that from the actors he picks, from Chris Pratt to Milly; but the idea is that we have Damon Lindelof, one of the all-time great writers on the show-- let him cook."
Up until the most recent Lanterns trailer released a few days ago, it's obvious that DC Studios and HBO Max were keeping a lot of things under wraps, and based on the comments above, the most recent trailer is likely just the tip of the iceberg.
Fans often complain that trailers spoil a show or movie’s best plot points before release. With Lanterns, however, it seems DC is providing fans with the rare superhero project that's holding its cards close to the chest.
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.