As many suspected, it sounds as if the DCU's premiere Green Lantern will be Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, at least by the end of the upcoming HBO superhero drama, Lanterns.
Speaking to CBS Morning, DCU co-chair James Gunn confirmed that Stewart is the focal point of the story, despite other Green Lanterns being featured.
"We go into Supergirl and Lanterns next summer...It's basically John Stewart's story in a lot of ways, but with those other characters," said Gunn, referencing Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan.
Elsewhere, HBO boss Casey Bloys stated that he's feeling bullish about Lanterns and thinks the show will be just as strong of an Emmy contender as The Penguin, which just secured 24 nominations.
Responding to that notion in an interview with The Wrap, Bloys stated, "If there’s wood, I’m going to knock on it, because I’m superstitious, so I’ll just say I feel good about it. I’m not sure with the Emmy window where it falls, but in whatever window it falls in, I do believe it’ll be an Emmy contender."
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.
It was recently revealed that the 8-episode HBO superhero drama has wrapped filming.
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.
Before Warner Bros. merged with Discovery in April 2022, HBO was developing a Green Lantern series centered on Alan Scott and Guy Gardner.
The project was being led by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Seth Grahame-Smith, with Finn Wittrock cast as Guy Gardner and Jeremy Irvine set to play Alan Scott.
However, things changed after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over as co-heads of the newly formed DC Studios.
Under their leadership, the show was reworked to focus instead on Hal Jordan and John Stewart, so as to better reflect the direction and creative vision of the new DC Universe.