Posted in: HBO, Movies, TV | Tagged: dc studios, john stewart, lanterns

Lanterns: Pierre, James Reportedly Being Considered for John Stewart

Reports are Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge) and Stephan James (Beacon 23) are in the running to play John Stewart in DC Studios' Lanterns series.

There had been some rumblings over the past several weeks that we might be hearing some things regarding production on 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. Earlier this week, reports hit that Emmy winner Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights, Mayor of Kingstown) was in negotiations for the role of Hal Jordan (though reps for all parties involved did not comment). With rumblings about the two actors being in final contention growing louder, The Hollywood Reporter is reporting from sources that Aaron Pierre (Netflix's Rebel Ridge) and Stephan James (MGM+'s Beacon 23) are in contention for the role of John Stewart (with FX's Snowfall star Damson Idris reportedly no longer in contention).

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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