As more details emerge about HBO's Lanterns, it sounds more and more like the TV series will be more of a John Stewart-centric show, despite the fact that Kyle Chandler is set to appear as Hal Jordan.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Nathan Fillion, who has a scene-stealing appearance as Guy Gardner in Superman, discussed his appearance on the show, revealing that he only has scenes with Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, not Hal.
"Aaron, he's got a voice like butter. And he's statuesque, like he's carved out of marble," Fillion told EW.
"He's very, very specific about his character and what his character's going through. His character's clearly going through something. And then along comes this gregarious, smug son of a bitch in Guy Gardner."
"And in that show...boy, Guy Gardner. I've dropped more F-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together," Fillion teased. It sounds like Guy is going to give the new Lantern recruit some rookie hazing.
However, Fillion went on to intriguingly add that something about Guy's encounter with John leaves him very worried. As John and Guy's conversation draws to a close, Fillion stated, "by the end of it, you can tell there is a shift. Guy Gardner is no longer comfortable. He is no longer feeling smug. Then you can see where John's strength really lies. That is a strong individual. I don't really have any scenes directly with Hal Jordan, but meeting Kyle, he's everything you'd hope he would be. Very fun, very nice man, very lighthearted, and fun to be around."
The series description for Lanterns has previously been described as, "following 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."
Lanterns was part of the original DCU: Gods and Monsters Chapter One rollout video released by DC Studios and James Gunn.
During that promo video, Gunn described the series as, "this is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan. 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."
Filming on Lanterns reportedly wraps this month. We haven't seen the usual wrap social media posts from the cast or crew, so it's probably safe to assume that the show is still currently filming or at the very least, the wrap party hasn't occurred yet.
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 the upcoming Superman film.
Lanterns is co-written by Chris Mundy (who also serves as showrunner), Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. James Hawes is directing the first two episodes. Filming for the series began in February 2025 in Los Angeles.
With a scheduled premiere on HBO in early 2026 (and streaming on Max), the 8-episode Lanterns is poised to lay foundational elements for the DCU's overarching narrative.