James Gunn's Rebooted DCU To Include A True Detective-Style Lanterns Series. Here's What That Could Look Like
For a long time, the Green Lantern mythos has been seen as a sleeping giant in the DC stable, capable of saving Warner Bros. cinematic universe. After all, the creative possibilities are endless, as the Green Lantern Corps — that's a whole legion of superheroes, not just one — wield one of the greatest weapons in all of comic book history, capable of manifesting anything that the wearer can possibly imagine, whether it's a rocket, a building, or a giant punching fist. Couple that with dozens of fan-favorite Green Lantern characters, dastardly villains, and an entire universe of stories both cosmic and terrestrial, and it's really a wonder that Green Lantern has taken so long to become a major Hollywood franchise.
Well... except for that one slip-up. As moviegoers know, there has been a previous attempt at a live-action iteration of these emerald knights — namely Ryan Reynolds' "Green Lantern" film, which failed to meet expectations or launch a greater universe. Since then, fans have been left longing for a better adaptation of the characters they love.
Thankfully, at the January 31st DC event, newly installed DC masterminds James Gunn and Peter Safran finally confirmed that the Green Lantern Corps. are coming back, this time via a TV series titled "Lanterns." Here's what we know so far.
The upcoming Green Lantern show will be True Detective with aliens
At a January 2023 attended by Jenna Busch of /Film, James Gunn explained that the Green Lanterns will soon have their very own television show on HBO Max. This new series will predominately follow the pilot Hal Jordan and the soldier John Stewart, and will be called "Lanterns."
Gunn then spoke about some of the inspiration that went into crafting this new show, mentioning "True Detective" specifically, and emphasizing that the show will begin with a more grounded narrative instead of going cosmic right out the gate. Essentially, it seems that the two space cops will be flying to Earth to solve a mystery. Gunn also elaborated that "Lanterns" will weave in between other films and television shows within the DCU, much like his previous successful show, "Peacemaker."
By saying that the upcoming "Lanterns" show will have a very buddy-cop feel to it, while at the same time bringing up a harrowing show like "True Detective," Gunn has invited a tremendous amount of speculation and conjecture. Since it seems "Lanterns" skews more towards the "True Detective" sphere than "Star Wars," for instance, the team-up of Hal Jordan and John Stewart makes for an interesting partnership to focus on: Jordan is known for being a hothead, while Stewart is a no-nonsense individual with very little patience for such antics. The conflict between both men, as Stewart follows the rules and Jordan breaks them, is sure to make for an engaging narrative.
Lanterns has the potential to get very, very weird, in all the best ways
Of course, if we look at "The Suicide Squad" as any indication, the fact that "Lanterns" will start with a grounded narrative doesn't mean it won't end in a place that's super-weird and cosmic.
After all, perhaps Gunn brought up "True Detective" as a hint that while "Lanterns" will start on Earth, the unfolding mystery will unspool into cosmic horrors of the type comic fans are expecting. In the comics, Sector 2814 (the one Earth is in) is almost always a hot bed of activity, and the villainous force at work in the series could be a primordial entity like Parallax, the terrifying yellow creature that once possessed Hal Jordan and made its cinematic debut in the Ryan Reynolds movie. There's also the patron of the Red Lanterns, the Butcher, as a possible villain.
What, did we say Red Lanterns? That's right: as "Lanterns" progresses, it's entirely possible that the series delves into the other Lantern Corps of the DC Universe, which cover the entire emotional spectrum. While green is willpower, there's also blue (hope), indigo (compassion), purple (love), yellow (fear), orange (greed), and red (rage), each of which has its own slew of Lanterns.
For now, that's all speculation. Either way, it's well-past time for the Green Lanterns to get their due, and hopefully "Lanterns" will finally light the way.