Lanterns Trailer Description Leaks Online, Teasing Major DCU Details

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John Stewart and Hal Jordan featured in HBO's Lanterns.

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The recently unveiled trailer for the upcoming Lanterns series has been broken down online, and some potentially major plot points are far from what fans were expecting.

The first official Lanterns trailer, which was shown to a select audience during a special screening event in Mexico City, was recently described online by fan account GreciaIsMyName on Twitter. The trailer reportedly carries a similar tone to True Detective Season 2, which comes as no surprise to fans who were already expecting a gritty, superpowered cop drama.

The description of Hal Jordan's Green Lantern suit notes that it appears to be fully practical, with a green, black, and white color scheme tinted with bits of gold, almost reminiscent of a variant of his look from Injustice. There is also mention of Hal being effectively forced to pass his Ring down to John Stewart, although this was noted as being purely speculative based on the scant information available as of now.

Set to premiere some time mid-2026, Lanterns will star Kyle Chandler as veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan, who returns to Earth to help train rookie Green Lantern John Stewart, portrayed by Aaron Pierre, as they investigate a cold-blooded murder in rural Nebraska. The series will also star Kelly Macdonald as local Sheriff Kerrry, Poorna Jagannathan as the cunning Zoe, Garret Dillahunt as self-righteous modern cowboy William Macon, Paul Ben-Victor as alien vigilante Antaan, and Ulrich Thomsen as the infamous Sinestro.

Lanterns will also mark the return of Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, a role he originally debuted in for Superman starring David Corenswet. Although Fillion's Guy Gardner will certainly be bringing plenty of experience along with him, there is no guarantee that he is the kind of help Hal and John will be looking for during their investigation.

What To Expect From HBO Max's Lanterns

GL Rebirth #6 Cover featuring Hal Jordan at the center of the Earth Green Lanterns.

Back in October, Lanterns creator and showrunner, Chris Mundy, discussed what the series will bring to the small screen when it premieres, particularly in terms of its storytelling and, more importantly, how that ties into John Stewart's personal journey. "Our story takes place in a couple of different time periods, and so the challenge was for the characters to be consistent at their core," Mundy explained. "John's sort of a different person in one of them than he is in another."

The showrunner offered more insight as to what DC fans can expect. "I do think the physicality and magnetism that Aaron brings to the role brought that all together," Mundy said of the incoming Lanterns star. "That theater training, that wanting to be in the minutia of the work and the craft, it really added to John's character from all sides. It added dimension to the more physical side of the role, and to the more emotional, creative part of the role."

Lanterns is currently expected to premiere on HBO and HBO Max sometime in mid-2026.