Lanterns: Green Lantern TV Series Narrows John Stewart Casting Down to Two Actors

DC’s Lanterns TV series has been gaining more and more hype as it gears up for production next year. Hot on the news that actor Kyle Chandler is playing Green Lantern Hal Jordan, comes word that casting Hal’s fellow Green Lantern and partner in the Earth sector, former marine John Stewart, has been narrowed down to just two actors. 

One candidate is UK actor Aaron Pierre, who arguably has some of the biggest heat right now, having played a breakout role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, and just starred in the Netflix action-thriller Rebeld Ridge. That film seems to be a hit for the streamer, and with viewers; there has been no shortage of chat threads dedicated to fan-casting Pierre in any number of major franchise roles – including DC’s John Stewart. Pierre is no stranger to the DC Universe, either: he played a starring role in Syfy’s Superman prequel series Krypton, where he played Kryptonian soldier-turned-rebel Dev-Em. That performance was all the audition to play John Stewart that most DC fans need. Rebel Ridge made Pierre look very convincing as a military action hero – it would be a shame to waste that momentum.  

The other final candidate is Canadian actor Stephan James, best known for playing Civil Rights leader John Lewis in the Oscar-winning film Selma, and the lead role in Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-nominated film If Beale Street Could Talk. He also played a major supporting role in Amazon’s psychological thriller Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts. Obviously, James is better known for roles in prestige projects rather than genre or franchise work – but that could be the kind of actor that HBO, DC,f and Warner Bros. want for the version of John Stewart that will appear in Lanterns.

After confirming that Kyle Chandler is playing Hal Jordan, DC fans have been debating which actors could bring the camaraderie and conflict that would mix well with (or be a good foil for) Chandler’s presence. It’s hard to decide whether Pierre or James is “the best pick, in that regard. Both have been standouts in ensemble works alongside top-tier talents. 

Lanterns’ place in the DCU’s first chapter, “Gods and Monsters” has gotten much more important as new details about the series have emerged. We know that the show will see Hal and John investigating “a terrestrial-based mystery that leads into the overall story that we’re telling throughout the different movies and television shows,” according to DC Studios head James Gunn. He also added that the two ring-bearing space cops will  discover an “ancient horror on Earth, and these guys are basically supercops on ‘Precinct Earth.’”

The series is currently in development, in will reportedly start production early next year. Chris Mundy (Ozark), serves as showrunner; Damon Lindelof (HBO’s Watchmen), and DC comic writer Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Batman) will be co-writer and executive producers on the series. Lanterns will run for 8 episodes that will air on HBO and stream on Max.