Posted in: Comics, HBO, Max, Movies, TV | Tagged: dc studios, lanterns, paradise lost, The Penguin

James Gunn Honors Anniversaries of 3 DC Characters Key to DC Studios

James Gunn honored the anniversaries of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern John Stewart, and The Penguin - three characters key to DC Studios.

Since DC Studios co-CEOs  James Gunn and Peter Safran first rolled out their early plans for their New DCU, Gunn has made it a point of paying respects to the comics that the upcoming series and films will be adapting – as well as the artists who brought them to life and keeps them thriving. So when an anniversary of a DC Comics character comes along, you can be sure that Gunn's going to remind you about it on social media. Earlier today, Gunn recognized three major players in the DC Comics universe who have had major impacts – and who all debuted on October 21st. We have The Penguin (created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, first appearing in 1941's Detective Comics #58), Green Lantern John Stewart (created by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, first appearing in 1971/1972's Green Lantern #87), and one of DC's "Trinity," Wonder Woman (created by William Moulton Marston and H. G. Peter, first appearing in 1941's All Star Comics #8).

With The Penguin, we have HBO's hit Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti-starring "The Batman" spinoff series currently winning over viewers and critics alike. With John Stewart, we have Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country, Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers), and Tom King's (Mister Miracle, Supergirl) Aaron Pierre (John Stewart) and Kyle Chandler (Hal Jordan)-starring Green Lantern series Lanterns on the horizon. As for Wonder Woman, there's Paradise Lost in development – a political drama offering the backstory on what the all-female island of Themyscira was like before her birth.

"Happy Anniversary to three icons who changed DC comics: Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern John Stewart, and the Penguin, who don't have a lot in common other than that they all debuted on October 21!" wrote Gunn in his Instagram post from earlier today – here's a look:

DC Studios' Lanterns: What We Learned During NYCC 2024

At the top of the panel, Gunn briefly discussed the series and noted how they were "getting ready to shoot that." Later, moderator Josh Horowitz (Happy Sad Confused) asked Gunn for an update on a number of DC Studios projects. In terms of Lanterns, Gunn shared how Pierre was someone he's wanted to work with for a while (noting that he was a finalist to play Adam Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). In terms of Pierre and Chandler's screen test, Gunn described it as one of the "miraculous moments" when you see two actors connect and it goes beyond even what they're talking about. As for the series itself, Gunn shared how smoothly the series came together while working with Mundy, Lindelof, and King and that – despite its potentially epic nature – the series is very grounded and "very real."

"We are elated to be reuniting with both Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof as they partner with Tom for this fresh take on DC's 'Green Lantern,'" shared Casey Bloys, chairman/CEO of HBO and Max Content. "As part of James and Peter's vision for the DC Universe, this first new live-action series will mark an exciting new era." Gunn and Safran added in a joint statement, "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.'"

When the series was first announced, Safran noted that the series would play a major role in their New DCU. Comparing it to "a huge HBO-quality event" along the lines of "True Detective," the "Green Lantern" series is set to focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart – who investigate a mystery that Safran said during the initial rollout "plays a really big role leading us into the main story that we're telling across our film and television. So this is a very important show for us." James Hawes (Slow Horses, Penny Dreadful) has been tapped to helm the opening chapters of the series.

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