James Gunn is opening up about what the “grounded” DCU Lanterns series will look like.
Lanterns is a forthcoming DCU series co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. Coming from HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, Lanterns will see Kyle Chandler play Hal Jordan while Aaron Pierre stars as John Stewart.
Gunn has previously said that Lanterns will be a “very grounded, very believable, and very real” kind of story, per IGN.
Speaking with Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn was asked what he meant by “grounded” and whether or not this means audiences will see Hal and John donning traditional superhero costumes.
James Gunn explains how Lanterns will have a “grounded” approach
“Well, I don’t want to give away all that stuff,” Gunn answered. “I think grounded — just, like, if Green Lanterns were real, what the f— would they be and how would they be? I was thinking about it the other morning. The thing that keeps getting out is that it’s a terrestrial story. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, because it’s on Earth, the story takes place on Earth.’ Everybody is like, ‘We don’t want to see [Earth], they’re from outer space, they fly with rings.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, they’re on Earth for the story, like most Green Lantern stories.’ They’re terrestrial-bound. It’s not in outer space. We don’t have a thousand Green Lanterns or any of that stuff. It’s a grounded story that’s being told through another lens in a way that’s really — it’s an HBO series, and it’s going to be an HBO series. I’m happy with that and I love the scripts.”
Lanterns does not have a premiere date at this time; however, Gunn previously said he intended it to be released around the same time as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which hits United States theaters on June 26, 2026.
Originally reported by Brandon Schreur on SuperHeroHype.
