Back in March, DC fans were treated to the first Lanterns teaser trailer. Though the upcoming HBO Max series had long drawn comparisons to True Detective, some viewers were still taken aback by the footage. Lanterns was presented as an extremely grounded crime drama that seemed to dial down any comic book sensibilities. While there was plenty of focus on the dynamic between Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart, we hardly got any taste of the Green Lantern powers that many were expecting to see. With Lanterns‘ August release date fast approaching, DC Studios is revving up the marketing machine again with a new look that delivers some superhero action.
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Taking to Instagram, DC Studios co-head James Gunn announced that a new Lanterns trailer will be released tomorrow, May 18th. To tease its debut, he shared some short clips, including a shot of Hal using his Lantern powers to thwart a threat. Check out Gunn’s post in the space below:
Will The New Lanterns Trailer Be Better Received?
Since the first Lanterns teaser premiered, the show has been subject to backlash, with some people criticizing the “realistic” approach. Members of the Lanterns creative team have downplayed any concerns, ensuring that “there’s green” in the Green Lantern show, but it’s reasonable to say that first trailer did not make the strongest first impression with circles of viewers. While there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Lanterns, a standout second trailer would go a long way in shifting the discourse back in a more positive direction.
If Gunn’s tease is anything to go by, the new Lanterns trailer could showcase more of what fans want. The shot of Hal shooting what appears to be some kind of shield at red beams feels like something pulled out of a classic superhero action set piece, a sign that there will be plenty of comic book thrills complementing the intense character drama. Ideally, the full trailer will have even more moments that highlight the Lantern powers, showing off some of Hal and John’s repertoire. It’s a fine line to balance because you don’t want to give too much away in a trailer, but displaying some of the Lantern abilities will get fans excited for the series.
Even if the next Lanterns trailer shows off more of the superhero powers, it shouldn’t be interpreted as a direct response to the backlash. In all likelihood, the plan all along was to hold the traditional superhero stuff back for a later trailer. In order to portray the Green Lantern Corps. on screen properly, a significant amount of post-production work is required, finalizing extensive visual effects shots. As the VFX team worked on that, DC Studios figured it could give fans a taste of Lanterns by highlighting the general tone and character arcs. A Lanterns trailer with virtually no Green Lantern powers was controversial, but a Lanterns trailer with shoddy visual effects would be even more so.
Lanterns has a lot of potential to be a unique and exciting addition to the DC Universe canon, and hopefully the new trailer will illustrate why viewers (even those who are skeptical) should add it to their watchlists. If the next preview is successful, the situation could be akin to The Mandalorian and Grogu, which had some shaky early marketing materials of its own before more recent trailers changed people’s tunes. Considering how important Lanterns is to the DCU franchise, it’s vital to get fans onboard with the series, and DC will spend the next few months going all out to support it.
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