Hal Jordan just got a new lease on life.
After years in production purgatory, HBO and DC’s Lanterns series is finally picking up steam. The project won a straight-to-series order in June — and with TV royalty like Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof set to develop a story alongside comics writer Tom King, it couldn’t be in better hands.
Lanterns just got another boon with the casting of its title hero. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Kyle Chandler is set to suit up as Hal Jordan in Lanterns, setting the stage for an interesting story ahead. Lanterns will reportedly borrow its central brief from gritty cop dramas like True Detective. The series will follow Jordan as he takes a younger Lantern under his wing to solve an “Earth-bound murder with larger implications.” That younger Lantern could very well be John Stewart, and THR’s sources say that DC are looking for a “young, more fresh-faced actor” to bring the character to life opposite Chandler.
DC’s choice to cast a more seasoned actor as Hal Jordan says a lot about the scope of Lanterns. Before Chandler’s casting, major names like Josh Brolin, Matthew McConaughey, and Chris Pine were all allegedly in contention for the role. That means that Jordan was always meant to be the older mentor figure in this series — but that doesn’t bode well for the character’s future in the new DCU.
Per THR, Chandler’s deal with DC extends only to television, not films. That means that his time on Lanterns could be short-lived, paving the way for a new Lantern (presumably John Stewart) to become the resident Green Lantern in DC’s upcoming slate of films. Whether Hal Jordan will be killed off at the end of Lanterns or simply pass on the torch obviously remains to be seen. Either way, Green Lantern fans might not have much time with Hal Jordan in the new DCU.
