Posted in: HBO, Movies, TV | Tagged: lanterns

Lanterns Director Hawes on Chandler/Pierre Chemistry, Sci-Fi & More

Lanterns director James Hawes discussed Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre's chemistry, how the series handles the sci-fi aspects, and more.

Until now, our recent updates on how things are going with Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country, Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers), and Tom King's (Mister Miracle, Supergirl) Green Lantern series Lanterns have been built around some pretty impressive casting news. But for this go-around, series director James Hawes (Slow Horses, Black Mirror) is offering an update on how things are looking and some insights into what attracted him to the series, how it handles the sci-fi aspects, the cast's chemistry, and much more. The series follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. "It's an extraordinary combination of cast. I've been on the set the last four-and-a-bit weeks; the way the cast is landing is electric. I'm thrilled by who we've got here. I don't think DC fans will be in any way disappointed. I know James Gunn has already spoken about how excited he is," Hawes shared during an informative interview with Collider – here are the highlights:

Hawes on "Lanterns" Having "A Very Particular Humor": "There is a very particular humor that they [the creative team] brought to this. It's very rooted in a way that I like to think we achieve with 'Slow Horses,' that I achieve with things like my 'Black Mirror's', and yet there is a rich vein of humor running through it. So, again, it was about that tone. I'm such a huge fan of Damon [Lindelof] and Chris [Mundy] and the writing that they've done in the past."

Hawes on What "Bewitched" Him About HBO and DC Studios' Series: "Listen, it all starts from the script. When you turn those pages, can you get the smell of it? You always find a scene or two that you think, 'I can't wait to be stood beside the camera and the cast, directing this scene on the day.' If that happens on turning the pages, you know this is something you have to take seriously, and that absolutely happened with 'Lanterns.' To some extent, it's a swerve. Superheroes are not somewhere I've really played before, but it's created in such a way—and I can't tell you much—that it bewitched me."

Hawes on How Series' Sci-Fi Works in a Real-World Setting: "It doesn't lack its sci-fi magic, but it's done in a world where you accept that these things just are. They don't need that extra sprinkle of sci-fi fairy dust. It works within a physical world that we've come to know."

Hawes on "Lanterns" Cast; Chandler & Pierre's "Authenticity," "Charm": "I'm going to use slightly strange words, but the first word that came to mind was 'authenticity.' The next word is 'charm.' These are two people you just want to hang out with. There's just no doubt. You want to hang with them. You want to go on that journey. Add to that Kelly Macdonald, who I've worked with before on 'Black Mirror.' You get people who are just so classy and so busy inhabiting their roles, so you never doubt it. They're not on the outside—they're deep in those skins."

Along with Pierre and Chandler, the DC Studios series stars Garret Dillahunt (Fear The Walking Dead), Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire, In the Line of Duty), Poorna Jagannathan (Never Have I Ever, Deli Boys), Ulrich Thomsen (Counterpart, The Blacklist), Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That), Jason Ritter (Matlock), J. Alphonse Nicholson (P-Valley), Sherman Augustus (Stranger Things), and Jasmine Cephas Jones (Blindspotting). Helming the series are directors James Hawes, Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov. Based on the DC Comic Green Lantern, the series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, Gunn, Safran, King, Hawes, and Ron Schmidt.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!