HBO and DC Studios pulled the curtain further back on “Lanterns” Friday, screening a new trailer for the Green Lantern drama during a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con. The footage arrived alongside stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, co-stars Garret Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan, and co-creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King. The eight-episode first season debuts August 16 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.
Rather than a conventional origin story, the series takes a grounded approach to Green Lantern mythology, framing itself as a crime drama wrapped around science fiction. Chandler plays veteran Lantern Hal Jordan, while Pierre plays John Stewart, his newly recruited protégé still learning the ropes of intergalactic policing.
The pair are pulled into rural Nebraska to investigate a murder that appears tied to dangerous extraterrestrials. New footage revealed the story splits across two timelines, following a younger Stewart just two months into training under a jaded Jordan in 2016 alongside a present-day 2026 thread where the central mystery widens.
The trailer leaned harder into DC’s comic-book roots than earlier marketing suggested. It offered the first official look at Ulrich Thomsen as the villain Thaal Sinestro and formally introduced the Manhunters, the robotic planetary police force the Guardians of the Universe built before they ever formed the Green Lantern Corps. Chandler described Jordan during the panel as something of “an idiot and an asshole,” while Pierre emphasized Stewart’s roots as a sniper drawn from his comic-book origin.
The ensemble also includes Kelly Macdonald, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones. James Hawes directed the first two episodes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov handling additional installments.
Mundy serves as showrunner, and James Gunn and Peter Safran executive produce alongside the creators. Pierre’s John Stewart will not be confined to the small screen. Gunn introduced the panel by video from the set of “Man of Tomorrow,” where the character is set to appear alongside a wide roster of DC heroes.
