Lanterns trailer sends Hal Jordan and John Stewart into a Manhunter mystery
HBO’s Lanterns trailer pairs Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as Green Lanterns investigating a Manhunter-linked case in America’s heartland.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
The Lanterns trailer has arrived from HBO, putting Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart on the case of a strange mystery tied to the shape-shifting Manhunters.
HBO released the official look at the Green Lantern-centered series at San Diego Comic-Con. The footage sets up Hal and John as protectors of Earth, with Hal presented as an established Lantern and John as a recruit still figuring out what his ring can do.
The partnership does not look cozy. According to the trailer, Hal and John’s mentor-and-student arrangement comes with friction, including a moment where Hal pours water on a sleeping John. The footage also shows John being treated by others as Hal’s backup, which does not appear to help the mood.
What is Lanterns about?
Lanterns follows Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they work together on an investigation in America’s heartland. HBO’s trailer links that case to the Manhunters, described in the footage coverage as fearsome shape-shifters.
The series gives the superhero setup a neo-Western flavor, according to details released with the trailer. That means dustier mystery energy alongside the cosmic comic-book machinery of the Green Lantern world.
The ring action is still very much part of the pitch. In the trailer, Hal uses his ring to take flight, while John’s powers are shown on a smaller and more tentative scale: he creates a hummingbird, a sign that his command of the ring is still developing.
Who is in the Lanterns cast?
Chandler stars as Hal Jordan, with Pierre playing John Stewart. The trailer also includes Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, connecting the series to the version of the character seen in Superman.
Ulrich Thomsen appears as Sinestro, one of the best-known villains from Green Lantern lore. The wider cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
The series was co-created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King. HBO is positioning the show around the tension between two Lanterns at very different stages of the job, with the murder-mystery thread pulling them into the same uneasy mission.
Lanterns premieres Aug. 16 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
This story draws on original reporting from Mashable.