James Gunn Speaks Out After DC’s Lanterns Finally Casts Its John Stewart

Looking to the lineup of upcoming DC TV shows , Lanterns , i.e. the DC Universe’s Green Lantern-focused show , has been making significant progress in recent months. It looks like Friday Night Lights ’ Kyle Chandler will play Hal Jordan in the HBO series (UPDATE: his casting has officially been confirmed) , and today brings official word that Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre has been cast as John Stewart. James Gunn, co-head of DC Studios, spoke out after the news was announced to the public.

Gunn has often gone on social media to confirm major DC media news ever since he took the DC Studios reins with producer Peter Safran, and today was another example of that. He wrote the following on his social media platforms, including X (formerly known as Twitter) , about Pierre snagging the Lanterns role:

Aaron Pierre being cast as John Stewart shouldn’t come as a shock for those who’ve been following along with Lanterns-related news. In late September, it was reported that he and Stephan James were the finalists to bring John Stewart to life, with Damon Idris having once also been seriously considered. Now that Pierre has been selected as the DC Universe’s John, he has a second DC credit to add to his resume, as he previously played Dev-Em on the short-lived Krypton . There was also a time when Pierre was going to star opposite Mahershala Ali in the MCU’s long-awaited Blade movie , but he ultimately exited the project.

Being cast as John Stewart is yet another way 2024 has been a stellar year for Aaron Pierre in his professional life. As mentioned earlier, he starred opposite Don Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb in Rebel Ridge , which was met with critical acclaim and can be streamed with a Netflix subscription . He’ll also soon be heard voicing Mufasa in Mufasa: The Lion King , which co-stars Kelvin Harrison Jr. and opens December 20 on the 2024 movies schedule .

Lanterns will follow Hal Jordan, a veteran Green Lantern, and John Stewart, his rookie partner, investigating a murder in America’s heartland, which draws them into a “dark, earth-based mystery.” Behind the scenes, Lanterns is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes. The series is executive produced by all four men. Originally, Lanterns was only going to be available for those with a Max subscription to stream, but now its episodes will first air on HBO, then be uploaded onto the online platform.

There’s no release date set for Lanterns yet, but filming will reportedly happen in Atlanta from January to June of next year. CinemaBlend will continue passing along updates on how the series is coming along amidst our other DC Universe coverage.