Lanterns TV Series Officially Casts Star of Hit Netflix Movie as John Stewart

DC’s Lantern TV series, based on the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lanterns, has officially found its John Stewart actor. There have been several reports floating around lately regarding who would be portraying John Stewart next to Kyle Chandler’s Hal Stewart. The name reportedly at the top of the John Stewart wishlist was Stephan James (If Beale Street Could Talk, 21 Bridges), with Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre also in the running. However, HBO has confirmed that Aaron Pierre will in fact be playing John Stewart in Lanterns, an HBO Original series set in James Gunn’s new DC Universe.

Created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams, John Stewart debuted in 1971’s Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #87. John Stewart is one of DC’s first Black superheroes, and saw his profile raised in the general public as the primary Green Lantern in the hit animated series’ Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.

Who is Aaron Pierre?

Aaron Pierre currently stars as the lead in Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge, which debuted on Netflix on September 6th and was the #1 title worldwide on Netflix for three weeks in a row. In December, Pierre will take on the titular role of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins’ animated Lion King prequel for Disney.

“Interestingly, I think — I only wrapped Mufasa this year and we’ve been doing that for a good few years now,” Pierre told ComicBook. “I think in a way, similar to life, your life experiences inform your future life experiences. Similarly, the opportunities that you’re gifted as an actor, as an artist, what you learn and what you harnessed from one job, you take those lessons that you absorbed and you bring them to the next thing to hopefully enhance your capability to bring something to life.”

Pierre was most recently seen leading the NatGeo series Genius: MLK/X, as civil rights leader Malcolm X, Garth Davis’ Foe alongside Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan, Clement Virgo’s Brother and Barry Jenkins’ award-winning limited series The Underground Railroad. He is currently filming The Morning Show.

What is DC Studios’ Green Lantern series about?

Lanterns 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. The Green Lantern show has been compared to True Detective as far as the vibe that the creatives are going for.

Chris Mundy (Ozark, True Detective: Night Country) is the showrunner for Lanterns, with Mundy co-writing alongside Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers), and DC comic writer Tom King. King is an Eisner Award winner for his work on Batman and Mister Miracle, and his Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is being adapted into a feature film starring Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon).

“We are elated to be reuniting with both Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof as they partner with Tom for this fresh take on DC’s ‘Green Lantern,’” Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content, said in a statement when Lanterns was officially greenlit. “As part of James and Peter’s vision for the DC Universe, this first new live action series will mark an exciting new era.”