Kyle Chandler in Talks for Hal Jordan Role in DC’s ‘Lanterns’

(Left) Kyle Chandler in ‘Friday Night Lights’. Photo: Universal Television. (Left) DC Comics’ Green Lantern. Photo: DC Comics.

Preview:

Kyle Chandler is in talks to play Hal Jordan in DC’s ‘Lanterns’ series.
Josh Brolin was previously offered the role.
Damon Lindelof and Chris Mundy are among the producers of the new show.

Josh Brolin may not have agreed to the solemn duty of wearing and using the Green Lantern ring for the long-gestating DC Studios TV series for HBO based on the comic book property, but now we know who –– at least is in talks to do so –– as Deadline has learned that ‘Friday Night Lights’ veteran Kyle Chandler is in talks for the Hal Jordan role originally offered to Brolin.

With the show finally up and heading into a more solid production phase, we can expect to hear more casting news soon.

What’s the story of ‘Green Lantern’ in comics form?

DC Comics’ Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. Photo courtesy of DC.com.

Created in its first incarnation (a Lantern named Alan Scott) in 1940 by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger, the concept of the ‘Green Lantern’ comics is that of a super-powered, police force, battling evil doers with rings that allow them to channel energy into different forms. There are many Lanterns, who patrol the known and unknown universe.

‘Green Lantern’s history on screen has been seriously mixed. Though different takes on the character have flourished in animated movies and series, their live-action counterparts have had less luck. Ryan Reynolds played the Hal Jordan version in a 2011 movie that didn’t triumph at the box office, and there have been fleeting glimpses on the small screen.

Even Zack Snyder didn’t manage to realize his chosen Lantern –– John Stewart –– in his mammoth Snyder Cut of ‘Justice League’. Despite shooting a cameo with Wayne T. Carr as Stewart, Warners asked him to remove the character because of the studio’s own plans. In the end, Snyder swapped in Martian Manhunter.

(Center) James Gunn and the cast of ‘Superman.’ Photo: James Gunn’s Instagram Account.

James Gunn has Nathan Fillion playing the Guy Gardner incarnation in his ‘Superman’ movie, which lands on July 11th next year.

And the show had been in development before Gunn and Safran made their big announcement. Back in 2020, ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Seth Grahame-Smith hopped aboard to write and run what HBO Max (as the streaming service was then called) was picturing its most expensive series to date, a space-set ‘Green Lantern’ drama whose focus would be the Alan Scott and Guy Gardner iterations of the character among the first and most popular versions.

‘Lanterns’ will follow the Hal Jordan and John Stewart characters, as new recruit Stewart and Lantern legend Jordan are described in the latest official synopsis as “two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

Who is working on ‘Lanterns’?

(L to R) Green Lanterns Hal Jordan and John Stewart from DC Comics. Photo: DC Comics.

Chris Mundy, whose resume includes stints on Netflix’s ‘Ozark’ and HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’, is showrunner on the new series, working alongside ‘Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof and DC comics writer Tom King (whose ‘Supergirl’ comic is the basis for the new movie featuring the character).

And, according to Jeff Sneider, there have been talks for Lindelof’s ‘Watchmen’ collaborator, director Stephen Williams, to handle the first episode of the new series.

Who else was rumored for the Jordan role?

Matthew McConaughey at The 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

According to various sources, the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Chris Pine and Ewan McGregor were all on the radar for this one around the time that Brolin was being approached. But it would seem that the team has at least locked into one of its leads, with the John Stewart news still to come.