The new DC Studios series embraces a dark, grounded tone, blending superheroes with a police thriller in a detective-driven format.
HBO Max has released the first official teaser for ‘Lanterns’, one of the most anticipated titles in the new DC Studios universe. It introduces Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, two members of the legendary Green Lantern Corps reimagined through a completely different lens.
Far from the classic cosmic-superhero approach, ‘Lanterns’ is shaped as a buddy-cop narrative with the soul of a crime thriller. The story follows both Lanterns as they investigate a grim murder on Earth — a case that gradually reveals a larger threat and connects to the foundations of the new universe led by James Gunn.
The teaser presents a restrained, almost gritty tone, closer to a police procedural than to a cosmic spectacle. In one of the most talked-about scenes, Chandler’s Hal Jordan tests John Stewart in an extreme situation, forcing him to use his power ring at a critical moment, making it clear that the series will lean heavily into psychological conflict and narrative tension.
During the presentation, Peter Safran, co-CEO of DC Studios, confirmed that the series premiere has been strategically rescheduled for late summer 2026 on HBO Max. The decision aims to give ‘Lanterns’ the right context within the studio’s release calendar, placing it after the debut of ‘Supergirl’, set for 26 June the same year, and ensuring solid and coherent promotion.
The series will also see the return of Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, a character introduced in ‘Superman’, and will feature Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, one of the most iconic villains in the DC universe.
With this first look, ‘Lanterns’ positions itself as one of the darkest, most mature and narratively ambitious projects in the new DCU, merging superheroes, crime and human drama into a proposal unlike anything the genre has seen.
