New Lanterns Trailer Reveals Show That Will Make Up For Supergirl’s Failure

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 11 seconds ago

One of the biggest fumbles in Warner Bros. history is Green Lantern. The movie should have been a surefire hit: the title character is one of DC’s most popular heroes, and he was played by a reliable leading man (and future Deadpool actor) Ryan Reynolds. Plus, the film is filled with an entire galaxy of colorful characters. Nonetheless, a combination of bad writing and shoddy CGI made this blockbuster film into something worse than a failure: an embarrassment. Since then, the studio has been hesitant to bring the character back. However, that all changes with Lanterns, the DCU show premiering on HBO Max on August 16th.

The show takes the surprising approach of making Hal Jordan (the most popular Green Lantern) into an older character, one who is responsible for training Jon Stewart, the new kid on the block. Together, they must solve a murder on Earth that Jordan is convinced is tied to a larger extraterrestrial mystery. These space cops have to make nice with the local law enforcement, one of whom is deeply resentful of these big-time heroes muscling in on her jurisdiction. Does all of this add up to a show worth watching? Below, you can decide for yourself by watching the first full-length trailer for Lanterns.

The Lanterns Always Ring Twice

This Lanterns trailer quickly establishes the dynamic between our two main characters. Hal Jordan (played by Kyle Chandler) is training a rookie Lantern, John Stewart (played by Aaron Pierre). The new guy seems ready and willing to become a full-fledged space cop; meanwhile, Jordan has mixed feelings about the fact that he’s training his own replacement. In the trailer, we see a handful of fun mentor/mentee moments, several cool action moments, and even a brief conversation between Jordan and Sinestro, his greatest nemesis. Towards the end, we get a cool action montage to go along with Green Lantern’s familiar oath, followed by a cutesy moment between Jordan and his sheriff love interest.

For the most part, the trailer makes Lanterns look really exciting. I was on the fence about making Jordan an older character because I hoped that he (my personal favorite) would be the one to join the Justice League. However, the performances of the two leads really put my concerns to rest. Chandler is great as a grizzled space cop, and I’m now excited to see him in a Logan-style story about a cowboy hero going for one last ride. It helps that Pierre is so compelling as Stewart: he has a stern coolness that belies a fiery passion, and I’m hyped to see him evolve into the DCU’s next big character.

A Different Dynamic Duo

This is admittedly a low bar to clear, but Lanterns looks like it is going to be much better than Supergirl. While it’s something of an apples-to-oranges comparison (movie vs. TV show and all that), Lanterns already seems like it’s going to strike a better balance between its more grounded elements (like character relationships and an ongoing investigation) and its cosmic elements (like visiting Sinestro’s jail cell in deep space and making a mysterious alien enemy). The trailer also distances itself from most of the whimsy of Superman, Supergirl, and even Peacemaker, presenting a show with the sensibilities of your favorite cheesy action movies from the ‘90s.

Sure, it’s a great trailer, but will the TV show blow our minds or suck like the vacuum of space? Only time will tell, but we don’t have to wait that long. Lanterns premieres on HBO Max on August 16. Considering the high quality of Peacemaker Season 2, it’s fair to say that fans have high expectations for the DCU’s second live-action television show. Fingers are crossed it lives up to those hopes and that Green Lantern finally becomes the popular mainstream character he deserves to be. If not, the show might end up like Supergirl: an evil that we only wish would escape our sight!