The Only DC Universe Recap You Need Before Lanterns
The Green Lantern-themed detective series "Lanterns" will take the DC Universe in a direction that fans have never witnessed before, but what should you know about the events that led to this show before going in? Looper's video above will get you up to date on all things DCU in fun, fast, and efficient fashion.
When the first "Lanterns" trailer gave us a taste of HBO's Green Lantern reboot in March, it reminded us of "True Detective" combined with "Hard-Traveling Heroes," Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams' Green Lantern and Green Arrow team-up comic. Kyle Chandler's scruffy Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's straight-laced John Stewart indeed seem like a wonderfully dysfunctional duo.
Since "Lanterns" is co-created by mind-bending expert Damon Lindelof of "Lost," "Watchmen," "The Leftovers," and "Mrs. Davis" fame, it's wise to do a bit of homework before "Lanterns" premieres on August 16, 2026 and the pair gets in the middle of some seriously strange situations.
Lanterns is set to expand the DCU's space-themed mythology in a significant way
It remains to be seen where Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart will land in the ranking of live-action Green Lanterns, but one thing seems pretty clear: Even though the tone of "Lanterns" is comparatively grounded, the fact that it features multiple Green Lantern-affiliated characters interacting virtually guarantees that the series will address an array of space-themed goings-on in the DC Universe, in dialogue if nothing else. After all, the whole point of the Green Lantern Corps is to be an intergalactic peacekeeping body.
With Milly Alcock shining in the space-themed "Supergirl" as Superman's (David Corenswet) cousin Kara Zor-El, the DCU has been taking big leaps toward cosmic tales as of late. Because of this, "Lanterns" is a perfect show to expand on the space dealings of the franchise, and regardless of how it will go about it, fans can expect to learn a lot about the direction of the DCU — the Green Lantern parts of it in particular. Before "Lanterns" drops on HBO Max, make sure to check out Looper's video above for a great refresher of the DCU story so far.