HBO Max’s ‘Lanterns’ trailer unveils gritty Green Lantern mystery

At San Diego Comic‑Con, DC Studios debuted the first full trailer for the upcoming HBO Max series ‘Lanterns’. The eight‑episode drama launches on 16 August 2026 and stars Kyle Chandler as veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as rookie John Stewart. Created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, with Mundy as showrunner and James Gunn and Peter Safran serving as executive producers, the series blends a procedural murder‑investigation in the American heartland with a larger cosmic threat.

The trailer shows Jordan and Stewart probing a murder in Nebraska that leads them to confront shape‑shifting alien enforcers called the Manhunters. Key villains Sinestro and a cameo by Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner are also revealed. The tone is described as a dark, character‑driven detective story, drawing stylistic comparisons to True Detective, while still tying into the broader DC Universe.

The cast also includes Kelly Macdonald, Laura Linney, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Ulrich Thomsen, and Jasmine Cephas Jones. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with additional direction by Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov.