The debut teaser for HBO's "Lanterns" sparked a flurry of opinions among DC fans, and as is often the case in today's internet culture, things quickly escalated out of proportion. Many interpreted the absence of green in the preview footage, coupled with an out-of-context joke from one of the show's creators during a podcast, as a slight against the iconic green of the Green Lanterns from the comics. However, the team has since set the record straight, and a new trailer has arrived that is indeed more green.
The drama, which channels "True Detective" for a gritty, boots-on-the-ground mystery, stars Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, two members of the Green Lantern Corps., the intergalactic police force that protects sectors of the cosmos. Armed with power rings, they can conjure just about anything they can think of, including weapons, armor, force fields, power blasts, and constructs.
The new footage arrives with some exciting news: Laura Linney, star of "Ozark" and "The Big C," has officially joined the cast. The actress appears in a scene where Pierre's John says, "I'll do this better than he's ever done it before." Additionally, fans can get a first look at Nathan Fillion's return as Guy Gardner, a more obnoxious Lantern who was appointed to Earth's sector prior to the events of "Superman."
As showrunner Chris Mundy told Entertainment Weekly, the story plays out between two timelines. In 2016, Hal, a veteran of the Corps., brings along his mentee, John, to Rushville, Neb., to investigate a shooting he believes to have alien ties. There's tension between the pair; whereas all other Green Lanterns were chosen by their respective rings, the founders of the Corps. hand-picked John to be Hal's potential replacement.
The second timeline picks up in 2026, after the events of last summer's "Superman" movie. "That becomes a second mystery that we know is down the road for us," Mundy says. "So eventually two different mysteries get worked out over the course of the show."
