Viewers finally have their first look at Lanterns, the newest TV series from James Gunn‘s DC Universe. Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre play a pair of space cops on Earth on a training mission in the new show, which will establish the mythos of the Green Lantern Corps in the rebooted DC Comics cinematic universe. The series will premiere on HBO Max in August 2026.

The teaser opens with Hal Jordan (Chandler) and John Stewart (Pierre) driving along a desolate highway. Stewart is getting impatient; he’s been in training for two months, and he still hasn’t even worn the ring that provides members of the Green Lantern Corps with their superhuman powers. The veteran Jordan insists that Stewart is still “a f***ing substitute teacher,” but he’s willing to give Stewart a shot. Thus, after leaving his power ring on the dashboard, he tucks and rolls right out of the moving car… just as it plunges over an embankment.

The rest of the teaser sees the two men clash as they get embroiled in a small-town murder mystery. We get fleeting glimpses of their powers and Jordan’s costume; Jordan also asserts that he’s the only human Green Lantern (which might be news to Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), who debuted in last year’s Superman and is set to appear in Lanterns), and even notes that one of them is “a f***ing squirrel,” a reference to Ch’p, a squirrel-like alien Corps member.

What Do We Know About ‘Lanterns’?

Created by Chris Mundy (True Detective), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), and comics writer Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow), Lanterns will center around Jordan and Stewart as they solve a mysterious murder. Assisting them is local sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire), as they track down a variety of suspects and red herrings, including Garrett Dillahunt (Deadwood), Poorna Jagannathan (The Night Of), Jason Ritter (Matlock), and Paul Ben-Victor (The Wire). The series will also feature at least one major villain from the Green Lantern mythos; Ulrich Thomsen (Banshee) will play Sinestro, a respected member of the Corps who mentored Hal before turning to evil and becoming a galactic menace. Plus, another member of the Corps will be lending a hand in the form of Guy Gardner (Fillion). Like fellow DC series Peacemaker, this series will be decidedly R-rated, so hide the kids.

The Green Lantern Corps is a spacefaring group of peace officers armed with power rings powered by their users’ willpower; they can manifest any construct they imagine from green energy. They (and Hal Jordan) were created by John Broome and Gil Kane in 1959’s Showcase #22; John Stewart, a later addition to the mythos, was created by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams in 1971’s Green Lantern #87.

Lanterns will be released on HBO Max in August 2026; no exact release date has yet been announced.

via Collider