Announced as part of the DC Universe’s first chapter entitled “God and Monsters,” HBO Max is developing Lanterns, a new series starring Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two of the most famous Green Lanterns in the DC Universe. With both Jordan and Stewart having tenures on the Justice League and having led the entire Green Lanterns Corps in the comics, it’s going to take two very dynamic and capable actors to bring both of them to life in the new DC Universe. Likewise, they’ll also need to have good chemistry as partners protecting Sector 2814.
Described by new DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran as “True Detective in space“, Lanterns is set to star Hal Jordan and John Stewart together in live-action for the very first time, the very first human Green Lanterns of Oa in the original comics. Additionally, James Gunn has teased just how important Lanterns will be to the greater story that will be told with Gods and Monsters. Not only does this indicate more than one season, but it also highlights just how important the casting will be for such a critical DC project. Here are some exciting actor possibilities for Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Nathan Fillion/Wayne T. Carr
No stranger to crime procedural and mystery dramas such as Castle and The Rookie, Nathan Fillion has long been a favorite fan-casting for Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern. To that end, Fillion has served as a consistent voice for Jordan’s Green Lantern over the years, both in comedy features such as Robot Chicken as well as multiple appearances in the recently concluded DC Animated Movie Universe with its collection of connected films. Likewise, he’s also a good friend of James Gunn, having had roles both big and small in several of his projects.
Additionally, Wayne T. Carr would be an excellent counterpart for Fillion’s Jordan as the definitive John Stewart, finally giving him the chance to play the character after almost having the role in Justice League from director Zack Snyder. While he got as far as putting on a suit and wearing a ring for test footage, Carr’s version of Stewart has yet to be fully realized, something HBO’s Lanterns could certainly rectify.
Bradley Cooper/Sterling K. Brown
Having been the voice of Rocket Racoon for Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, it would be very exciting to see Bradley Cooper take on a new superhero role. Especially one where he can be in front of the camera. As such, the fearless and stubbornly determined Hal Jordan seems as though it would be a very strong role Cooper could take on in the DC Universe.
Bradley’s role as Jordan would be even better if he was paired with Sterling K. Brown. Brown could easily bring John Stewart’s more cool-headed and measured personality to live-action, while also having the same amount of will and fearlessness all Green Lanterns are known for. Having had some MCU experience in Black Panther as Killmonger’s father Prince N’Jobu, the time has certainly come for the This Is Us star to get a more prominent superhero role along with Cooper.
John Krasinski/Jamie Foxx
With his MCU role as Mr. Fantastic looking more and more like a single appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, perhaps John Krasinski could find more success in the DCU as Hal Jordan. While much has been said about his resemblance to Marvel’s Reed Richards, Krasinski is a dead-ringer for Earth One’s Hal Jordan. To that end, Gunn notably used key artwork of Jordan and Stewart from said series when announcing Lanterns. Not only has Krasinski proven he could provide a dynamic intensity to whatever crime/mystery DC Studios has planned for Lanterns, he could also bring Jordan’s signature charm and humor to the screen as well.
The same is true for Jamie Foxx if he were to be cast as John Stewart. Best known in the superhero genre for his role as the misunderstood villain Electro in the Amazing Spider-Man films and Spider-Man: No Way Home, Foxx could certainly bring some compelling depth to a hero like Stewart who began his life as an architect and marine before being recruited into the galactic Green Lanterns Corps. Likewise, it does seem as though Krasinski and Foxx would have great chemistry as partners who come to trust each other implicitly.
John Hamm/Aldis Hodge
John Hamm is another big-name actor who’s yet to really enter the superhero genre (aside from voicing Iron Man in the animated MODOK comedy series). As such, it certainly seems as though it’s only a matter of time before he’s cast as a superhero, and Jordan’s Green Lantern would be high on the list of DC heroes who’d fit best. Hamm would have no trouble at all portraying Jordan’s attitude and charm while also being able to depict the Green Lantern in his element, taking the biggest risks even in the most dangerous scenarios with seemingly impossible odds.
It would be great to see Aldis Hodge partner with Hamm as Stewart in the new DC Universe, potentially having a relationship where they might butt heads as the two Lanterns have in the comics. Despite having recently played Hawkman in Black Adam, the hero’s future is unknown after Black Adam’s less-than-stellar performance at the box office. However, Aldis Hodge’s portrayal of Hawkman was generally seen as one of the film’s great strengths, so it would be great to see Hodge getting another shot at a DC hero. Furthermore, Hodge recently voiced Stewart in the animated film Green Lantern: Beware My Power, only a few months before Black Adam’s release.
Glen Powell/John Boyega
Before he was chosen by Abin Sur to take his ring and join the Green Lantern Corps, Hal Jordan was a former fighter pilot with the freedom and exhilaration of flight being huge parts of his DNA. That core aspect of Jordan’s character is certainly something Glen Powell could portray well following his dual appearances as a Navy fighter pilot in 2022, first as Lt. Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin in Top Gun: Maverick and then as Lt. Tom Hudner in Devotion. Powell would have no problem embodying that fighter pilot mindset, as Hal Jordan is essentially a combination of Powell’s two roles: he’s a hotshot as well as a loyal wingman.
Likewise, the idea of John Boyega co-starring with Powell as Stewart would be incredibly exciting. Having been fan-cast as John Stewart for quite some time, a role in Lanterns could very well be the perfect franchise redemption for Boyega following the unfortunate mishandling of his Star Wars arc as Finn. Boyega can convey the right kind of intensity and qualities of a leader that would be perfect for Stewart, and it certainly seems as though Powell and Boyega would have great chemistry as partners seeking to uncover whatever mystery lies in store for the new DC Universe’s first chapter.
