Earlier this year, the news broke that Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) had landed the role of John Stewart in the DCU Lanterns series, with Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) officially confirmed to star as Hal Jordan around the same time.
Pierre was always a fan-favorite pick to play Stewart, but several sources had reported that fellow frontrunner Stephan James (Babes) was the studio's top choice.
Pierre shared a brief response on social media when his casting was announced, but has now addressed his upcoming DCU debut in a little more detail during an interview with ComicBook.com.
“What I can tell you is that the team are just super, super excited to have this opportunity to bring this story to the people. And, so far as I’m concerned, I’m gonna do my very best to serve and honor and elevate in any way I can, John Stewart and the [Green Lantern] Corps. Hopefully, I serve that and it resonates with me.”
When asked what kind of preparation he's doing to play the ring-slinging hero, Pierre answered: "Extensive."
Kelly MacDonald (The Radleys, Boardwalk Empire) is set to play the female lead (believed to be Jordan's love-interest), Sheriff Kerry, with Garret Dillahunt on board as the villainous William Macon, "a self-righteous, conspiracy-minded man who masks his ruthless ambition behind a charming and calculated facade."
James Hawes (Slow Horses, Penny Dreadful, The Mist, The Alienist, Snowpiercer) will helm the first two episodes.
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."
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."
You can check out some recent fan-art from 21x4 below.