The first teaser for DC Studios' Lanterns was officially released online yesterday after fans "manifested" it (it leaked beforehand), and our first look at some footage from the long-awaited DCU series definitely did not go over well with everyone.
To be fair, we already knew that this show, which focuses on veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) training rookie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), would be set on Earth and feature a more grounded, gritty tone (there are three F-bombs in the trailer, just in case you needed a subtle reminder).
While this always seemed like an odd approach for a show based on the adventures of an intergalactic Corps of space cops (surely plenty of other DC characters would have been better suited to this premise?), the True Detective comparisons did pique interest, and many fans were willing to see what HBO/DC delivered - provided the show didn't ditch too many of the more outlandish sci-fi elements.
The teaser shows Jordan taking flight (without the green "aura"), a quick glimpse of a costume (relax, guys, it's supposed to look worn and faded... just like its owner), and stops just short of showing both heroes powering up in several different scenarios. It is very much a teaser, but comic book fans are not known for their patience, and do tend to judge things prematurely.
Not to suggest that this was a great first look at the show by any means, but we really don't know what to expect from the later episodes of Lanterns, which will likely take the series into more sci-fi/superhero inspired territory.
Here's what director James Hawes had to say during a 2025 interview.
"It won't disappoint the classic fans. We get to meet the characters in quite a rooted way before it takes you intergalactic."
Even setting aside the likelihood that the studio simply didn't want to give too much away in this first teaser, it's understandable that this first look didn't jump straight into the neon constructs and ring-slinging action. Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern movie may have come out in 2011, but comic book fans have long memories!
What did you make of the first trailer for Lanterns? Have another look, and let us know in the comments section.
Chris Mundy will serve as showrunner, while 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."