The upcoming Green Lantern show, titledLanterns, has already begun assembling a strong cast, raising anticipation for the DCU installment.Everything that is known aboutLanternshas come from the mouth of James Gunn himself as the filmmaker continues building the foundations of what will hopefully be DC’s cinematic resurgence.Lanternsfalls under the manymovies and shows in the DCU’s Chapter One, titled “Gods and Monsters,” and will be the first proper integration of the titular Green Lanterns into the universe after a brief tease in 2025’sSuperman.
When the show releases, theDCU will have three Green Lanterns. As alluded to, the first will be Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, making his DCU debut inSuperman. The other two heroes will be first introduced inLanterns, with Gunn recently announcing the actors set to play the famousDC Green Lanterns of John Stewartand Hal Jordan. Alongside these two actors, several others have been cast inLanterns, making the show even more anticipated after Gunn initially described it as an Earth-based detective series that is integral to the overarching story of the DCU.
Kyle Chandler
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
One of the two leads in DC’sLanternswill be Kyle Chandler. Chandler was announced to be playing Hal Jordan in the series in October 2024, one of the most popular iterations of the Green Lantern Corps from DC Comics. Chandler will be the co-lead ofLanternsas Jordan, and will likely be depicted as the more experienced member of the Corps, in contrast to the younger, fresher Jon Stewart. In the comics, Jordan is one of the primary members of the Justice League, begging the question of how big his role in the DCU will be beyondLanterns.
Kyle Chandler is a prolific character actor in modern Hollywood, having appeared in several projects from a variety of franchises in the 2000s and 2010s. Chandler’s earlier roles came in the realm of TV, with the actor making a name for himself on shows likeHomefront, Early Edition,andWhat About Joan?Undoubtedly,Chandler’s breakout role wasFriday Night Lights, leading him onto bigger Hollywood roles in movies such asSuper 8, Argo, The Wolf of Wall Street, Game Night, andFirst Man, as well as the Netflix TV showBloodline.
Aaron Pierre
Krypton (2018-2019), Old (2021), Rebel Ridge (2024)
Alongside Chandler as Hal Jordan will be Aaron Pierre as Jon Stewart. Stewart is arguably the other most recognizable DC Comics Green Lantern after Jordan, with the character earning a fan-favorite status over the years. InLanterns, Stewart will likely be depicted as the more, well, green of the two leads who has only recently joined the Green Lantern Corps. This will give the buddy-cop dynamic to the show that Gunn and his team are aiming for, with it first being described as aTrueDetective-style series, all while setting up future DCU stories.
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Pierre does not have the same longevity in his career as Chandler does, but he will undoubtedly go on to solidify this after numerous breakout roles in the 2020s. His earlier TV works includedPrime Suspect 1973, The A Word,andBritannia. Interestingly,Lanternswill not be Pierre’s first experience with DC-based TV given that he played the character of Dev-Em in SyFy’sKrypton.In 2024,Pierre had two major breakout roles in the form ofRebel RidgeandMufasa: The Lion King, leading to fans calling for him to be cast as Jon Stewart and James Gunn obliging.
Kelly MacDonald
Trainspotting (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007), Boardwalk Empire (2010-2014)
Outside of the two leads, some other actors have been hired forLanterns. One is Kelly MacDonald, as broken byThe Hollywood Reportershortly after the announcements that Chandler and Pierre had joined the production. MacDonald will reportedly play the character of Sheriff Kerry, who is described as a no-nonsense law enforcement officer who has a deep devotion to her family, as well as the community from which she hails. Given thatLanternsis about a dark mystery that stems from a murder in the American heartland, Kerry will aid Jordan and Stewart in uncovering her town’s hidden secrets.
Before being cast in theupcoming DC TV show, MacDonald appeared in a wide variety of well-known projects. Her earliest film credit came in Danny Boyle’sTrainspottingas Diane Coulston, a role she reprised inT2 Trainspotting.Beyond that,MacDonald is best known forNo Country for Old MenandBoardwalk Empire, the latter of which received her a Primetime Emmy nomination. MacDonald has also appeared inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2,and provided the voice for Princess Merida in Disney’sBrave.
Garret Dillahunt
As per a report byDeadline,Garret Dillahunt has also been cast inLanterns. Dillahunt is the latest actor to be cast in the project as William Macon, a character described as a self-righteous modern cowboy. Dillahunt’s Macon is also said to be a man prone to conspiracies, who hides a ruthless ambition behind a charming facade. How Macon fits intoLanterns’ story remains to be seen, but his conspiracy-based mind will likely help or hinder the titular heroes’ investigation.
Lanterns begins filming in January 2025, meaning more actors will likely be announced as part of its cast from this point forward.
Dillahunt, like Chandler, is a well-known character actor who has a long list of credits over the last two decades.Dillahunt is perhaps best known for TV shows likeDeadwood, Raising Hope,andFear the Walking Dead, though he has several other TV and film credits beyond these. Dillahunt has worked with MacDonald before as part ofNo Country for Old Men,before appearing in movies likeLooper, 12 Years a Slave,andArmy of the Dead.Other TV credits includeThe 4400, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,andThe Mindy Project.
As evident byLanterns' cast members thus far, the show is shaping up to be incredibly interesting. The cast assembled has some experience portraying characters in neo-western projects, from Dillahunt and MacDonald playing roles inNo Country for Old Menand Pierre’sRebel Ridge. This will suit the writing talents of Chris Mundy - who has worked onOzark, True Detective,andCriminal Minds -while his partners Tom King, a prolific DC Comics writer, and Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers, Watchmen) will imbueLanternswith the necessary comic book/fantasy elements to slot it seamlessly into Gunn’s fledgling DC Universe.
Lanterns
Cast
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and veteran Hal Jordan, two members of the Green Lantern Corps, as they unravel a dark, Earth-bound mystery while investigating a murder in the American heartland.
