Green Lantern Show Recruits No Country for Old Men Star as Hal Jordan’s Love Interest

HBO’s Lanterns has added a big name to their cast as Kelly Macdonald is set to join the DCU. Macdonald made her film debut in the iconic 1996 film Trainspotting and has since become an acclaimed actress with several major roles under her belt, including being the voice of Merida in Pixar’s Brave. In2006, she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for her role in The Girl in the Café. In thefollowing year, she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in No Country for Old Men at theBAFTAs. Meanwhile, she was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role as Margaret Thompson on the hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire.

Now she is set to return to HBO, as The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Macdonald has joined the cast of Lanterns. The series will focus on veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), reluctantly mentoring a younger Lantern, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). The duo winds up investigating a murder mystery in the American heartland that seemingly could have significant cosmic DC connections. Macdonald will play Sherrif Kerry, whose character’s description describes her as a “no-nonsense woman deeply devoted to her family and close-knit town. Her resilience, shaped by a complex past that’s hardened her resolve, anchors her when the community’s secrets begin to surface.” She is rumored to be Hal Jordan’s romantic interest.

Lanterns have been picking up steam over the past few months as the series casting of Chandler and Pierre puts it on track to begin filming in 2025. The series is expected to air on HBO in 2026 as one of DC Studios’ two big releases for the year, alongside the feature film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Lanterns’ impressive cast of critically acclaimed actors like Chandler, Pierre, and now Macdonald exemplify how the new DCU will certainly not be short on talent.

Sheriff Kerry is notably not a name from DC Comics. This means that series creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King have decided either to create a new character for the series, or Kerry is secretly someone else from DC whose true name and identity will be uncovered, similar to how Marvel Studios recently revealed Aubrey Plaza’s Rio Vadal on Agatha All Along was Death. Hal Jordan’s central love interest in the comics is Carol Ferris, the CEO of Ferris Air, where she meets the Green Lantern. She also becomes the former villain, the recently turned antihero Star Sapphire. With Lanterns featuring an older Hal Jordan, his history with Ferris will likely be an established part of the franchise’s history going into the series, so that suggests Kerry is not secretly the classic DC character.

Lanterns become more exciting with each new cast member and story detail. Macdonald’s role in the DCU could be just for Lanterns, but she could also go on to various other projects. With a law enforcement background, she could be recruited by the DC government agency ARGUS. Lanterns taking place on Earth and investigating a crime might tie into James Mangold’s planned Swamp Thing film, given that Swamp Thing has connections to both the Black and White Lanterns in the wider DC Universe. There is also a good chance that Lanterns will be building off the fallout from James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film, featuring another Green Lantern in the form of Guy Gardner, with Nathan Fillion taking on the role. The DCU is in its early days, and fan speculation will certainly ramp up, leading to many fun theories and discussions.