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

Lanterns: What Happened With That Pre-DC Studios Green Lantern Series?

Before Lanterns debuts, we look at how close we came to a Green Lantern series from Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and Seth Grahame-Smith.

First announced by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran when they were rolling out their first slate of DCU films and series, Gunn and Safran's vision for a Green Lantern series officially becomes a reality tonight when Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), and Tom King's (Supergirl) Aaron Pierre (John Stewart) and Kyle Chandler (Hal Jordan)-starring Lanterns debuts on HBO. With that in mind, we wanted to take some time to reflect on how close we came to getting a very different Green Lantern series pre-Gunn and Safran, what came into play that would eventually lead to the project being shelved, and some recent comments that call into question how long the vision for Lanterns as a "True Detective"-type show has been in play.

Originally announced back in 2019, the eight-episode series was set to span decades and galaxies- beginning on Earth in 1941 with the very first Green Lantern, secretly gay FBI agent Alan Scott (Jeremy Irvine), and in 1984, with cocky alpha male Guy Gardner (Finn Wittrock) and half-alien Bree Jarta. Along the way, they would encounter a number of both new and familiar Lanterns: Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, Sinestro, and Kilowog were expected to appear.

Reportedly, Hal Jordan and John Stewart were unavailable for the series due to their potential appearances on the big screen. Lee Toland Krieger (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Superman & Lois) was set to helm the first two episodes. Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, and writer & showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith were set to executive produce alongside Geoff Johns, Sarah Schechter, David Madden, and David Katzenberg– with Elizabeth Hunter and Sara Saedi co-executive producing.

Green Lantern: Finn Wittrock Discusses Series

In August 2021, Wittrock provided some updates on the production's progress, his preparation for the role, and more – including how filming was expected to get underway at the end of the year or in 2022. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from his EW interview:

"Green Lantern" Isn't What You're Expecting: "It is really cool how sprawling a storyline it is. It's pretty epic. It spans time and space and has something for everyone. It's not your average superhero story," Wittrock explains. "People will be really, really pleasantly surprised."

Guy Gardner May Be a "Polarizing Figure" But There's A Lot to Love: "He takes on a lot of this show. He's a pretty big part of it. I think it's an interesting way in [to the story]. It's not the conventional way in, but I think people might see a side of him they didn't know was there," Wittrock said.

Yes, Wittrock Watched Ryan Reynolds' 2011 Film: "It [2011 Green Lantern] definitely was something that was in my head. In some ways, it's almost better. I think it offers a chance to reinvent the whole thing and you're not going to have… I mean, no offense to the movie. It is what it is, but you're not going to have people who are dying for the creation of that movie. [The show] can be its own new interpretation," Wittrock explained.

"Green Lantern" Was Made for Streaming: "There's a lot of story there. I think maybe it was just too much to fit into a movie. We have the time and the space, thanks to HBO, to really explore a lot of it on a big scale. I think it's going to be a different animal, to be honest," Wittrock teased.

Green Lantern: Seth Grahame-Smith Discusses Series

During a press junket for the Disney+ supernatural anthology series Just Beyond, Grahame-Smith discussed the size and scope of the series as well as how he schooled himself in the world of Green Lantern. "Yeah, that show is gigantic," Grahame-Smith revealed during an October 2021 interview with Collider. "It has taken quite a bit of time to get to this point and it's just a big, big undertaking. It's going really well. All I can say is that it's going really well and there are gonna be Green Lanterns in it, and it's gonna be on HBO Max."

As for his comic book knowledge of the character, Grahame-Smith explained that most of his exposure to DC Comics' characters came via the big screen and that he was a late bloomer when it came to the ring-slinger. "I'll admit, I wasn't like a huge comic book kid. I was a huge movie kid. And so, my introduction to DC Comics came through the '89 Batman movie. When that movie came out, I was like, 'Oh, my God, Batman is the coolest,' and I started reading Batman comic books. But Green Lantern is something that, to be honest with you, just came to me later, by way of just talking about doing the show. The possibility of doing the show led me down a deep dive of Green Lantern lore. We'll see. It's gonna be awhile before the world gets to see that, but we are very, very busy at work, as we speak."

Warner Bros. Discovery & DC Studios Era Begins

In April 2022, Discovery, Inc. and Warner Bros.' parent company, WarnerMedia, merged to form Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), led by President and CEO David Zaslav. Six months later, in October 2022, Gunn and Safran would be named as DC Studios CEOs. Here's a look at some important timeline highlights regarding the series:

August 2022: HBO & HBO Max CCO Casey Bloys sends out an email that lays out the changes that will be taking place on the executive levels moving forward. While describing HBO Max Head of Original Content Sarah Aubrey, Bloys says they will be working with Joey Chavez, EVP Programming, to build up "tentpole IP series such as 'Peacemaker,' 'Dune,' 'The Penguin,' and 'Green Lantern.'" Those series would include Gunn's John Cena-starring Peacemaker; the upcoming "Dune" prequel series, Dune: The Sisterhood; Matt Reeves' Colin Farrell-starring "The Batman" spinoff, The Penguin; and Green Lantern. You can check out Bloys's email in full here).

October 2022: Though Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max remain committed to Berlanti and his Warner Bros. TV-based Berlanti Productions' take on a Green Lantern series, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the series was going through a ground-up refocusing that saw writer/showrunner Grahame-Smith departing the project after having completed scripts for a full, 8-episode season (with Grahame-Smith reportedly choosing to depart after leadership changes at the multimedia company). The series would now focus on John Stewart and not on Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, or the ensemble of Green Lantern Corps characters as initially envisioned. The decision was said not to be connected with the recent news that Gunn and Safran were set to lead film, TV, and animation at DC Studios.

November 2022: In an interview, Aubrey also stressed how Warner Bros. Discovery IPs were an essential part of the streamer's future, having this to say about Green Lantern: "We remain very excited by the opportunity to make a big four-quadrant space opera with Greg [Berlanti] and Sarah [ Schechter] for HBO Max."

December 2022: In a tweet confirming that Superman was "a huge priority, if not the biggest priority" in his and Safran's DCU plans (this was before the Gunn-penned Superman movie was announced), Gunn also said that Green Lantern was "important" as the DCU moves forward. In addition, Gunn would shut down reports that the series had been "scrapped" and that Gunn was eyeing Stewart's Green Lantern for film instead:

January 2023: Gunn and Safran would announce DC Studios' "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters" slate, comprised of the foundational wave of films and series that would help introduce the world to their new DCU. Included in that rundown of projects was Lanterns, an original series that would focus on Hal Jordan and John Stewart. "It's a huge HBO-quality TV event. It's already in development, and our vision for this is very much in the vein of 'True Detective,'" Safran shared. "It's terrestrial-based, it's got two of our favorite Green Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, starring in a 'True Detective'-type mystery, and it plays a really big role leading into the main story that we're telling across our film and television."

April 2024: Gunn was asked on social media about the fate of the original series. Gunn shared that he didn't know much about what went down since "it was before my time," but pushed back on the idea that anyone was "done dirty" in the deal – noting that "writers, directors, actors have projects fall through every day" and that "it's a part of the job":

That brings us to just a few days before DC Studios rolls out Lanterns, and we have an interesting note to end on. In The Ankler article "DC's TV Trouble: 'Lanterns' Arrives, Two Big Shows Die," it's noted that budget concerns were a major issue for executives, and the studio looked to take the project in a different direction. But it's the note that Guggenheim says was given repeatedly to him and Berlanti that has some folks arching an eyebrow because it mirrors how Safran and Gunn first promoted Lanterns. "We kept getting these notes saying they want 'True Detective' with power rings," Guggenheim noted. "Ultimately, that wasn't the show that we were interested in giving them."

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