In a surprise move, HBO has released the first trailer for Lanterns that confirms the release month for the new superhero show!
Now and then, a plan goes awry. Just this morning, HBO and DC Comics put out an X message promising the first teaser trailer for Lanterns would arrive on Thursday, March 5. However, after an early leak, they’ve gone ahead and released the full teaser, which also confirms the release month.
While we don’t have the exact date, the teaser confirms the show will drop on HBO in August. This comes after a few delays in production from the 2023 Hollywood strikes to the various upheavals at HBO. However, August seems a sweet spot for the show. It comes in the “dog days” of summer and before the regular network fall TV season. By that point, other streamers will have already shown their summer offerings, paving the way for more attention for this show. It also fits to have a superhero saga coming out in the summer.
That should help get more eyes on the show, with the teaser showcasting this is not going to be the typical DC Comics type of series!
For newbies, the Green Lantern Corps was introduced in 1956 and quickly became a critical part of the DCU. They’re a galactic police force comprised of 3600 members from hundreds of worlds, selected for their ability to overcome fear. They’re armed with power rings allowing them flight, force fields, and the ability to make constructs out of anything they imagine.
That lends itself to cosmic stories set in space. This series, however, grounds it to Earth as Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) is the training officer for new Lantern John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), with the trailer showing Hal doing some “tough love teaching” by jumping out of a truck and letting John get out of it himself.
The teaser follows the pair as they investigate a town with a dark secret, clashing with the locals. Notably, we only get glimpses of the GL uniform, Hal in flight (without the typical green glow) and a final shot of Hal with his ring. There’s also tension with John calling Hal old, and he should take over and a reference to the alien chipmunk Lantern Ch’p. Overall, it feels less like a comic book than an HBO crime drama like True Detective.
This will be connected to the wider DC Universe films as Nathan Fillion will cameo as Guy Gardner. This seems a callback to the “hard-traveling heroes” stories of the 1970s that followed Hal and Green Arrow traveling across America. It’s a different take for the mythos, but with James Gunn in charge, it should lead to Green Lanterns' light shining brightly in August.
Lanterns premieres on HBO Max in August.