More than a decade after Ryan Reynolds tried and failed to make the Green Lantern feel not silly, DC is taking another spin at the character. Lanterns is set to premiere on HBO, and The Hollywood Reporter is now reporting that Aaron Pierre, the star of Netflix’s recent hit Rebel Ridge, has been cast as John Stewart.
This casting search has been particularly scrutinized because of Stewart’s significance inside of DC as one of the comic book imprint’s first major Black characters. The casting decision reported came down to Pierre and Stephan James, who starred in If Beale Street Could Talk and the first season of Homecoming, among other projects. Both actors did screen tests with Kyle Chandler, who has already been cast in the series, and Pierre ultimately came out the winner.
Lanterns is set to be the first major TV project from new DC studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, and reportedly has a True Detective vibe, as much as a show about ring-wearing superheroes can have that kind of vibe. The series will follow Chandler’s Hal Jordan as he reluctantly mentors Pierre’s younger Stewart. The two intergalactic cops get drawn into an Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder.
In addition to Gunn’s stewardship, Lanterns also has an impressive behind-the-scenes pedigree. Ozark‘s Chris Mundy, Watchmen‘s Damon Lindelof, and acclaimed comic book writer Tom King have teamed up to write and executive produce the series, and director John Hawes, a TV veteran who recently directed episodes of Slow Horses, is set to direct the first two installments.
