HBO's new superhero show from the creator of Watchmen officially arrives in 3 weeks
Overview & Key Takeaways
The DC Universe show Lanterns follows Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder in a small Nebraska town.
Lostand The Leftoversshowrunner Damon Lindelof won two Emmy Awards for his brilliant 2019 miniseries Watchmen, which was somewhere between a “remix” and a continuation of the seminal graphic novel from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Six years later, Lindelof is again blending mystery and superheroes with a new HBO series that officially arrives in three weeks.
Lindelof has teamed up with Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy and Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Mister Miracle) to create Lanterns, a neo-Western focused on the Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and set in James Gunn's DC Universe. The three co-wrote the pilot, with Mundy serving as showrunner. Here’s everything we know about the series and how you can watch it.
What is Lanterns about?
Lanterns is more like True Detectivethan a typical superhero show. Jordan has been ordered by his bosses, the Guardians of the Universe, to train Stewart to serve as backup. Jordan is a cocky former pilot, while Stewart is a disciplined Marine and architect, so the two don’t really get along. Stewart gets some field experience as he investigates a murder in a small, close-knit Nebraska town, which Jordan is convinced is connected to alien activity.
Their search for answers puts them at odds with the local sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald of No Country for Old Men) and the influential rancher William Macon (Garret Dillahunt of Deadwood). Both Lanterns have their own secrets and goals, but they’ll need to work together to figure out what’s going on as they unravel a conspiracy that reaches far beyond Nebraska.
How does Lanterns connect to the DCU?
Photo: John Johnson/HBO Max
Photo: John Johnson/HBO Max
Image: HBO
Image: HBO
Image: HBO
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Photo: John Johnson/HBO Max
Photo: John Johnson/HBO Max
Image: HBO
Image: HBO
Image: HBO
Lanternsis the third TV series in the DC Universe, and while it’s very tonally different from James Gunn’s Creature Commandos and Peacemaker, it will connect to the filmmaker’s greater story. Gunn introduced the Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) in Superman, and Guy will also make an appearance in Lanterns. The show will also lead into Gunn’s next film, Man of Tomorrow, where Stewart will be one of the heroes teaming up to fight Brainiac.
How can you watch Lanterns?
Lanterns will debut on HBO on Aug. 16, and will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
