Chris Mundy, the creator and showrunner for the upcoming DC Universe show Lanterns, which stars Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, revealed the show is about Stewart replacing Jordan.
In an interview with Men’s Health, Mundy provided some significant details about the show and was asked if the show would stay true to the relationship between the characters that was fleshed out in the comics, “They had different philosophies. Different ways of doing things. Is that part of the story you want to tell?”
Mundy answered, “Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement—when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins? That push and pull between those two characters is really important.”
“So much of the power that John has is by not taking the bait, understanding that you lose your power if you’re yelling and screaming,” he continued. “That’s what we’re trying to convey: that he knows he belongs, so he doesn’t have to overcompensate. There’s a real balance there that’s just innately inside of Aaron. He’s big. He’s an intimidating presence just physically. But there’s a softness to him too. There’s a thoughtfulness. You can’t teach that.”
Mundy also shared that this show is not an adaptation of an existing comic book, but its own original story, “Our characters are true to the comics, but we’re putting them in a new story. So the actors didn’t have to dig into a specific period in the comic books. It was more about understanding who John is and understanding who Hal is.”
As for what to expect from the show, Mundy also revealed that it “takes place in a couple of different time periods and so the challenge was for the characters be consistent at their core.”
Additionally, he described it “as much of a buddy cop show as a superhero show.”
Nathan Fillion, who reprises his role as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner in the show, had previously provided details about the show in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “[Pierre’s] very, very specific about his character and what his character’s going through. His character’s clearly going through something. And then along comes this gregarious, smug son of a (expletive) in Guy Gardner. And in that show...boy, Guy Gardner. I’ve dropped more F-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together.”
“But, by the end of it, you can tell there is a shift,” Fillion continued, “Guy Gardner is no longer comfortable. He is no longer feeling smug. Then you can see where John’s strength really lies. That is a strong individual. I don’t really have any scenes directly with Hal Jordan, but meeting Kyle, he’s everything you’d hope he would be. Very fun, very nice man, very lighthearted, and fun to be around.”
The official logline for the show reads, “The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”
Mundy had also previously shared that the goal of the show was “to deliver a layered drama – rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building – that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion. The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.”
Jon Stewart is a GREAT DC character. He's a minority done right. Instead of race swapping Hal Jordan, DC created a new lantern, Jon Stewart, and from everything I've seen with Jon Stewart in it, the character is done very well so I hope they don't screw that up in this show. That said I am disappointed that David Ramsey, who played John Diggle in the ARROW series, wasn't the actor cast to play Jon Stewart. Towards the end of the series run when he found something that was glowing green (in the episode we only see the glow and not what it is) I was soo excited that maybe they were hinting that Ramsey would be Jon Stewart in the then rumored LANTERNS series.