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

Lanterns: Director James Hawes Reportedly Tapped to Helm Opening Eps

DC Studios reportedly tapped director James Hawes (Slow Horses, Penny Dreadful) to helm the first two episodes of the Green Lantern series.

In terms of Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country, Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers), and Tom King's (Mister Miracle, Supergirl) upcoming New DCU eight-episode "Green Lantern" series, Lanterns, most of the headlines lately have been focusing on casting. First, we heard that Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame, Jonah Hex) was offered the role of Hal Jordan but eventually turned it down. From there, reports hit that Emmy winner Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Mayor of Kingstown) was in final negotiations for the role. Following that, the word was that Aaron Pierre (Netflix's Rebel Ridge) and Stephan James (MGM+'s Beacon 23) were the two big names in contention for John Stewart. Whoever ends up with the roles, it looks like we now know who will be directing them – at least for the first two episodes. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting exclusively that James Hawes (Slow Horses, Penny Dreadful) has been tapped to helm the opening chapters.

Lanterns: A Look Back at Some Things We Know So Far…

"Finally can talk about what I've been working on for the past year and more. From DC Studios and Warner Bros, we're bringing 'Lanterns' to HBO," King began his Instagram post from June, addressing the news much more openly than he could previously – even after Gunn confirmed that he would be working on the series. "Chris, Damon, and I created it; Chris is writing and running it while Damon and I write and executive produce. I like to think of it as from the creators of 'Ozark,' HBO's 'Watchmen,' and, of course, Batman meets Elmer Fudd."

He continued, "We're working with a dream team writer's room, putting together something thrilling and epic and intimate and grounded and funny and true—a superhero show that brings together the glories of the comics with the excellence of an HBO prestige drama. It's such an honor to work on these characters, to build on what titans John Broome, Gil Kane, Denny O'Neil, and my old pal (and Batman/Fudd fan), Neal Adams created. We're endlessly inspired by and grateful for the creativity of so many Lantern comic creators from 1940 to this Wednesday." Before closing, King added a personal perspective to the news: "On a personal level, my late mother was a Warner exec: being back on her lot, building something cool that she'd love—it feels real special."

"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."

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