Earlier this week, Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler was cast as Hal Jordan in the DC TV series, Lanterns. The role of the greatest Green Lantern was originally offered to Josh Brolin but the actor passed on the project. With Chandler now locked in, all that remained was to cast John Stewart for the upcoming series. A new report says Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre and Babes star Stephan James are currently the top names on the shortlist for the DC character.
Originally, Arrowverse creator Greg Berlanti was tasked with developing a Green Lantern TV series for HBO Max. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter writer Seth Grahame-Smith was slated to be the showrunner and Marc Guggenheim would serve as the co-writer. The show would have focused on multiple Green Lanterns like Alan Scott, Guy Gardner, and Jessica Cruz. The series was scrapped after Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn was appointed as the head of the new DC Studios in October 2022. The show underwent a redevelopment shortly after and the series focus shifted to having John Stewart as the central Green Lantern for Gunn’s new DC Universe.
Lanterns is said to be more like a detective-style show where Hal Jordan and John Stewart return to Earth to investigate a mystery that will lead to a much larger plot that will affect the DCU. Gunn tapped True Detective writer Chis Mundy to write the pilot and the series bible. Mundy will also serve as showrunner for the series. Nathan Fillon’s Guy Gardener who will appear in James Gunn’s Superman is also slated to appear in the series.
Earlier this month, Aaron Pierre saw an outpouring of support from fans online suggesting the actor was the perfect fit for Stewart following the release of the Netflix movie, Rebel Ridge.
Some fans may not remember, but at one time, Pierre was cast in Mahershala Ali’s Blade film. The actor exited the Marvel film as problems continued to delay the troubled production.
Filming for Lanterns is scheduled to begin in January of 2025 and rumors claim a decision on the casting of John Stewart could be made as early as the end of this week.
Source: THR
Featured image: John Stewart/Green Lantern. Aaron Pierre in Rebel Ridge (Courtesy of Netflix). Stephan James in Homecoming (Photo by Ali Goldstein, Amazon Studios)
