Warner Bros. Pictures
HBO Max’s “Lanterns” series has long been pitched as essentially a “True Detective” spin in the new DC Universe as two Green Lanterns investigate a murder in the heartland.
Then, as production got underway, it became clearer that the tone wasn’t quite as dark as that venerated crime anthology series. This was especially made clear when it was confirmed that Nathan Fillion’s blond bowl cut Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern from “Superman” would appear in it.
As we know, the series mostly centers around John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) with prior screen Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) serving as a mentor-style figure to John.
Fillion’s Gardner on the other hand is expected to only be a short appearance that stirs the pot somewhat. Speaking with EW, Fillion confirms he only has scenes with Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart. In addition, his character apparently gets to go full HBO with levels of profanity akin to an episode of “Deadwood”:
“Aaron, he’s got a voice like butter. And he’s statuesque, like he’s carved out of marble. He’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 bitch 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. By the end of it, you can tell there is a shift. 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.”
Gunn previously confirmed that there are a “few other Lanterns peppered in there” beyond the two leads, which suggests Guy won’t be the only other GL popping up in cameos.
Filming on the series wraps this month following its kick off back in February. The eight-episode show is reportedly targeting an early 2026 release.