Fifteen years after Ryan Reynolds played Hal Jordan in the 2011 Green Lantern movie, a new actor is taking on the role. Kyle Chandler, known for his Emmy-winning performance in Friday Night Lights, now stars as the veteran Green Lantern in HBO’s new series Lanterns. The show takes a completely different approach to the character, moving away from the big cosmic action of the 2011 film to something much more grounded. Lanterns is set in the DC Universe created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, and it premieres on August 16, 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.
What Is ‘Lanterns’ About?
Lanterns follows two Green Lanterns – veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) – as they investigate a murder in rural Nebraska. The show has been described as a buddy-cop drama with a True Detective style feel. The series was created by Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), and comic book writer Tom King.
The story takes place across two different time periods. Showrunner Chris Mundy explained that the series jumps between 2016 and 2026, with two separate mysteries that get solved over the course of the eight episodes. The show starts with a 60 Minutes-style introduction to Hal Jordan in 1996 before moving into the main investigation.
Co-creator Tom King said the team wanted to combine the “space cops” idea from the comics with the feel of movies like Training Day and HBO’s True Detective. Mundy described it less as a whodunnit and more about exploring the relationship between the two main characters.
Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan: An Older, Wiser Lantern
One of the biggest differences between Chandler’s version and Reynolds’ is age. Chandler is 59 years old, while Reynolds was in his early 30s when he played the character. The creative team made a deliberate choice to cast an older actor.
Damon Lindelof said the writing team considered doing a younger Hal Jordan at first, similar to what Reynolds did. But Tom King’s pitch changed everything. The idea of a buddy-cop story with a passing of the baton between two Lanterns made them realize an older Hal would work better. Lindelof explained:
“We started to think, wouldn’t it be interesting if Hal didn’t want to let go of the baton, but he’s running the relay race nonetheless. And I think there’s something there, about working through the culture of the old guard not wanting to be replaced.”
In the series, Hal Jordan is a former Air Force test pilot who has been a Green Lantern for years. He is forced to train John Stewart as his potential replacement, and the two men do not get along well at first. The New York Times review described the relationship as filled with “anger, ill will, resentment and Freudian angst”.
How Chandler’s Performance Compares to Ryan Reynolds’ Version
Ryan Reynolds played Hal Jordan in the 2011 Green Lantern movie, which was widely criticized and performed poorly at the box office. That film focused on a younger Hal Jordan learning about his powers and dealing with cosmic threats.
The new series takes a very different path. Co-creator Tom King admitted he has “a soft spot” for the 2011 movie but said:
“That was big and cosmic and huge — let’s take that energy but turn it into a character study and bring it down so that we can give something that has scale and power and energy in a different sort of way.”
Kyle Chandler said he did not try to copy what Reynolds did. When asked about the comparison, he said:
“I did my own thing.”
He focused instead on building chemistry with his co-star Aaron Pierre:
“The main thing was to get the relationship down with Aaron and us to figure out what our parameters were, what we wanted to do and to get that relationship opened up and have fun together, and luckily that worked well. We get on really easily so that was imperative.”
The Cast and Characters
Alongside Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, the series features a strong supporting cast:
- Kelly Macdonald plays Sheriff Kerry
- Ulrich Thomsen plays Sinestro, Hal’s former mentor who has become a traitor
- Nathan Fillion reprises his role as Guy Gardner, a character he played in James Gunn’s Superman movie
- Laura Linney, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, and J. Alphonse Nicholson also star
Fillion’s appearance connects Lanterns directly to Gunn’s Superman film, creating links within the new DC Universe.
When and Where to Watch ‘Lanterns’
Lanterns premieres on Sunday, August 16, 2026, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and streams at the same time on HBO Max.
The first season has eight episodes total. New episodes will be released weekly on Sundays. The full release schedule is:
- Episode 1 – August 16
- Episode 2 – August 23
- Episode 3 – August 30
- Episode 4 – September 6
- Episode 5 – September 13
- Episode 6 – September 20
- Episode 7 – September 27
- Episode 8 (Finale) – October 4
For viewers in the UK, the series begins streaming on August 17 on NOW and HBO Max. In India, episodes will be available on JioHotstar every Monday at 6:30 am IST.
Related:
A Grounded Take on Superheroes
The creative team behind Lanterns wanted to do something different from typical superhero stories. Damon Lindelof said audiences want something original with real emotional stakes. The show explores themes like race, colonization, and justice, similar to how Lindelof’s Watchmen series did.
Poorna Jagannathan, who plays a character named Zoe, said she hesitated to join the show because she didn’t know the comic book world. But she believes Lanterns will change how superhero shows are made:
“I don’t think that only this universe will be affected by it; I think every show in the genre will be affected by what happened on ‘Lanterns.’ It’ll be a blueprint on how to take something big and keep it with a beating heart.”
The show has already received positive reviews from critics. The Hollywood Reporter said Chandler and Pierre’s chemistry helps the series work even when the superhero elements are uneven. The New York Times described it as a buddy-cop story that puts two of the best-known Lanterns on a case together.
Also Read: HBO’s Lanterns Turns Green Lantern into a Small-Town Murder Mystery
For more updates on DC Studios, new series releases, and entertainment news, keep following VvipTimes for the latest stories from the world of television and film.
Leave a Reply