The Green Lantern Corps just got louder, because Nathan Fillion is returning as Guy Gardner in HBO’s Lanterns series following his debut as the hotheaded Green Lantern in this summer’s Superman, which hits theaters on July 11, as per EW. Fillion joins previously announced leads Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler, who are playing John Stewart and Hal Jordan, respectively, in the upcoming prestige DC drama.
Lanterns is the first live-action series to be made from scratch under the new leadership of DC — James Gunn and Peter Safran — as part of the new slate, and is being developed as a dark, grounded, True Detective-style mystery set on Earth. The story follows John Stewart as a rookie Lantern recruited into the Corps, who teams up with veteran Hal Jordan to investigate a murder in the American heartland that spirals into a much bigger cosmic conspiracy.
Gunn had previously hinted that “a few other Lanterns” would be “peppered in” alongside Stewart and Jordan—and now we know at least one. Fillion’s Guy Gardner, who will appear in Superman first, will carry over into Lanterns as a recurring presence, likely complicating things for both John and Hal.
“He’s a jerk!” Fillion said to TV Guide when describing the character. “What’s important to know is, you don’t have to be good to be a Green Lantern—you just have to be fearless. So Guy Gardner is fearless, and he is not very good. He’s not nice, which is very freeing as an actor.” Fillion also joked that Guy’s “superpower” might be “his overconfidence,” saying, “He thinks he could take on Superman. He can’t!”
What Is ‘Lanterns’ About?
The HBO series will lean into noir storytelling as it follows quite a dark narrative path. As the murder case unfolds, the Earthbound Lanterns uncover layers of corruption and cosmic secrets, with Chandler’s Hal expected to be a grizzled and grumpy mentor to the more idealistic John, played by Pierre. How Guy fits in here could be anyone’s guess at this stage. The series also stars Kelly MacDonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt as William Macon, Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe, and Jasmine Cephas Jones as a younger version of John’s mother, Bernadette, appearing in flashbacks.
Lanterns is part of the first wave of the new DC Universe under Gunn and Safran, which also includes the Creature Commandos animated series, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and Season 2 of Peacemaker on Max.
via Collider