DC’s ‘Lanterns’ Series Just Locked in Its Hal Jordan

Coach Taylor is heading to the big leagues! Kyle Chandler, the star of Friday Night Lights and other assorted projects, has officially signed on to play Hal Jordan in Lanterns, the high-profile HBO series set in the DCU. Jordan is the same Lantern who was portrayed by Ryan Reynolds in the 2011 film that most like to pretend never existed. It’s the second major piece of casting for the series following today’s earlier revelation that Aaron Pierre had been cast in the other leading role of John Stewart. Chandler takes on the role following the news that Josh Brolin had passed on playing Jordan after he was previously rumored to be the front-runner.

Chandler is a veteran actor who’s been on the circuit for years and remains a popular and compelling presence on screen. He’s appeared in such acclaimed movies as Argo, which won the Best Picture award under the direction of Ben Affleck. Additionally, he also starred as one of the few adult characters in 2011’s Super 8, which was JJ Abrams’ homage to Amblin and Steven Spielberg, and is probably more responsible for Stranger Things than any other project out there.

He is also known for his role in Manchester by the Sea, the 2016 drama starring Michelle Williams and Casey Affleck. He can more recently be seen playing Mark Russell in the MonsterVerse movies, and he also portrays Mitch McLusky in the Jeremy Renner-led Mayor of Kingstown series on Paramount+.

James Gunn has previously labeled Lanterns as “a terrestrial-based TV show, almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over precinct Earth. In it, they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our larger story of the DCU.” The down-to-earth approach, mixed with the cosmic lore of the Green Lantern Corps, should deliver a fun and compelling new addition to the DC Universe Gunn is currently building. Gunn and Peter Safran released the following statement when the series was announced:

“We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon, and Tom at the helm. John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and
Lanterns
brings them to life in an original detective story
that is a foundational part of the unified DCU
we’re launching next summer with
Superman
.”

The series combines the all-star talents of showrunner Chris Mundy, who executive produced True Detective and Ozark; and series writers Damon Lindelof, who wrote for Lost, Watchmen, and created The Leftovers; and comic book legend Tom King . Stay tuned for more updates on Lanterns.

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