‘Rebel Ridge’ Star Aaron Pierre Lands Role of John Stewart In HBO’s ‘Lanterns,’ Colorism Debate Ensues

Source: Variety / Getty / Aaron Pierre

Fans who have been fan-casting Aaron Pierre for the role of John Stewart in Lantens following his brilliant performance in the Netflix original film Rebel Ridge have a reason to celebrate, while others are BIG MAD.

Aaron Piere has landed the role of John Stewart in the upcoming HBO DC Comics series Lanterns . Previous reports linked Kyle Chandler to the role of Hal Jordan.

According to Variety , before Pierre landed the role, other names reportedly circling it were Damson Idris ( Snowfall ) and Stephan James ( If Beale Street Could Talk ).

The plot for the show will follow “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.”

Current co-head of DC Studios, James Gunn, confirmed Pierre got the role after auditioning, writing in a post on X, formerly Twitter , “Welcome to DC, Aaron Pierre. After a long and grueling series of auditions, I am absolutely sure we’ve found an incredible John Stewart. #Lanterns .”

Pierre’s Casting Sparks “Colorism” Debate

Many were excited about Pierre’s landing the role. Still, the decision has many crying colorisms because Stewart is a dark-skinned comic book character, and Pierre has a lighter melanin complexion.

“sigh… colorism wins again. And most won’t care cuz everyone likes him and finds him attractive. John Stewart is legit my fave superhero. So this casting is a bummer. Not due to his acting. But I doubt that they’re even gonna address the elephant in the room,” one person wrote on X.

In response to the above quote, another user on X wrote , “Colorism???? Really? Y’all can’t be serious with this bullshit. He is black. Wtf are y’all trying to downplay this man because he is a few shades lighter than you want a fictional character to be? Just stupid.”

Welp.

Pierre is John Stewart, and that is not likely to change unless he decides to step down. We look forward to him dawning a power ring and becoming a space cop.

Until that day arrives, you can see more reactions to his casting in Lanterns in the gallery below.