In HBO’s new Green Lantern show, the Watchmen producer is reportedly casting the Friday Night Lights star as DC’s Hal Jordan.
Kyle Chandler has reportedly been cast as Hal Jordan aka Green Lantern in “Lanterns,” one of the upcoming TV series in the new DCU program from James Gunn and Peter Safran.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chandler is set to don the green suit for the new show, which HBO ordered straight to series in June. The True Detective-style take on the DC hero will focus on Hal Jordan, who reluctantly mentors the younger Lantern, John Stewart, and will see the two characters investigate a murder on Earth with major consequences. Josh Brolin was reportedly in talks to play the lead role, but ultimately declined.
True Detective: Night Country and Ozark writer Chris Mundy will serve as showrunner, while the creator of HBO’s Watchmen and Lost will serve as executive producer. Award-winning DC and Marvel comics writer Tom King will write the series.
Harold “Hal” Jordan was created in 1959 by John Broome and Gil Kane as a reinterpretation of the Green Lantern from the 1940s. John Stewart, the first African-American superhero in DC comics, was created by Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams and first appeared in 1971. John Stewart has not yet been cast in the upcoming TV series.
Chandler won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Eric Taylor in the final season of Friday Night Lights. The actor also played the role of Dr. Mark Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. He also received two Emmy nominations for his role as Detective John Rayburn in the Netflix thriller series Bloodline.
The first live-action Green Lantern film was released in 2011, starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan. Wayne T. Carr played John Stewart in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, with the Snyder Cut restoring scenes that were cut from the theatrical version of the film.
There is no release date yet for Lanterns, but for more information, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and shows you should know about.
