DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has taken to social media to confirm that Lanterns is set to premiere on August 16..
Earlier this week, fans noticed that the first teaser trailer for the upcoming DCU series had been removed from all HBO, HBO Max, and DC YouTube channels/social media platforms. Yesterday, HBO shared a version of the trailer that replaced the remix of Bruce Springsteen's "State Trooper" with what we assume to be a sample of Stephanie Economou's score.
This appeared to confirm that the original teaser must have been taken down because of a licensing issue, but the re-released promo was then removed shortly after, leading to speculation that the release date may not be accurate.
We're still not sure why the latest teaser was pulled, but we'd say a full trailer might be just around the corner.
As for the new image, it shows either John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) or Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) charging their ring on a GL power battery - and there's a lot more green on display here!
It's hard not to view this particular still as a response to the fans who criticized the teaser for its muted color palette and lack of green "aura." The backlash only intensified when a clip resurfaced of co-creator Damon Lindelof calling the color green "stupid."
“I made a dumb joke on a comedy podcast," Lindelof said in response. "I’m not going to bob and weave about context, the joke was dumb, the fandom is not. I owe them an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings. Green is not stupid, it is my lifelong favorite color and I have a questionnaire that I filled out in third grade to prove it. Green is [frick]ing awesome.”
“It would be a betrayal to everyone I worked for and alongside to say anything other than I was absolutely honored to be a part of the team that manifested the incredible construct that is ‘Lanterns’… because it was,” he added. “I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John and the entire Corps. I can and will do better to be worthy of the oath… until then, I’ll let the show speak for itself and I can’t wait for you all to hear what it has to say.”
James Hawes (Slow Horses, Penny Dreadful, The Mist, The Alienist, Snowpiercer) helmed the first two episodes. The creative team also includes Emmy Award-winning Lost and Watchmen creator Damon Lindelof, and comic book writer Tom King. Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson and Vanessa Baden Kelly are also on board.
Lanterns "follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.".
Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner will have a supporting role in the series.
"This is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan," Gunn said of the project when it was first announced. "We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU."