{"id":5968,"date":"2026-08-15T20:36:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T20:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5968"},"modified":"2026-08-15T20:36:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T20:36:22","slug":"lanterns-bosses-and-stars-on-how-the-shows-grounded-approach-ushers-in-an-entirely-different-kind-of-superhero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5968","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Lanterns\u2019 Bosses and Stars on How the Show\u2019s Grounded Approach Ushers in an \u2018Entirely Different Kind of Superhero\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tAs part of James Gunn and Peter Safran\u2019s newly expanded DCU, a more grounded take on the \u201cGreen Lantern\u201d comics may surprise audiences who associate the character with the Ryan Reynolds film that received poor reviews back in 2011.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018How the F\u2014 Would You Get This Movie Made in America?\u2019 Christine Vachon, Film4, BBC Film Put \u2018Trainspotting,\u2019 \u2018Ratcatcher\u2019 and \u2018The Wicker Man\u2019 Through the 2026 Greenlight Test<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBut for co-creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, \u201cLanterns\u201d is all about going back to the original iteration of the character when he was \u201can entirely different kind of superhero.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re talking about almost a century\u2019s worth of storytelling, and now we get to carry that baton,\u201d Lindelof told Variety<\/em>. \u201cBut then at the same time, the audience is hungry for something original and relevant, and they want storytellers to take risks. Those risks can\u2019t feel like they\u2019re gimmicks; they have to feel like they have real emotional stakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe show follows Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as he is forced to take John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) under his wing as a backup. As the Green Lantern, Hal has the power to create material items through his ring and acts as an intergalactic space officer. Things take a dark turn after a series of unexplainable deaths draw Hal and John to a small town in Nebraska.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs creators, King brings a wealth of experience as a comic book writer, while Lindelof created the \u201cWatchmen\u201d TV series. Mundy, who served as showrunner on \u201cOzark,\u201d is new to the comic book world.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI know that if Damon didn\u2019t work on this show, I would have used \u2014 and I think Tom would say the same \u2014 \u2018Watchmen\u2019 as a real touchstone of how you do a show and have it be emotional and about real people, while also honoring the comic book part of it,\u201d Mundy said.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn addition to the grounded approach that \u201cWatchmen\u201d takes, \u201cLanterns\u201d also shares similarities in how the show explores race, colonization and justice. King explained how \u201cthere\u2019s a wonderful coincidental parallel with comics that \u2018Watchmen,\u2019 in the \u201980s, set the standard for a generation of comic book writers who were like, \u2018Oh, we can talk about those themes using superheroes!’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPoorna Jagannathan, who plays the conniving and mysterious Zoe, hopes that shows like \u201cLanterns\u201d invite more actors into the DCU who don\u2019t read comic books.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018The State of Us\u2019 Review: A Pair of Spirited Performances Lift a Familiar Yorkshire Tearjerker<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI thought I\u2019d be with a green screen wearing a suit, talking to no one at all, just into the abyss,\u201d she told Variety<\/em> at Thursday\u2019s premiere on the Paramount lot. \u201cI hesitated because I didn\u2019t know this world at all. I felt like I didn\u2019t belong, actually. I felt bad that I was so ignorant about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI don\u2019t think that only this universe will be affected by it; I think every show in the genre will be affected by what happened on \u2018Lanterns,’\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019ll be a blueprint on how to take something big and keep it with a beating heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs the DCU continues to expand and test the waters of audiences, both with the success of films like \u201cSuperman\u201d and the underwhelming reception to \u201cSupergirl,\u201d how audiences react to \u201cLanterns\u201d could determine if early conversations about Season 2 turn into an official renewal.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe one thing that fans hate more than being listened to is fan service and that sort of idea of doing something just to placate them. And so I do think that fandom is not a monolith,\u201d Lindelof said of navigating fandom expectations. \u201cThere are some fans who want more risky, edgy sort of revisionist storytelling inside of these adaptations, and some fans who are just basically like, \u2018Give me what I love.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are certain canonical elements that the \u201cLanterns\u201d team had to carefully maneuver, such as how the show ties into John Stewart\u2019s involvement in \u201cMan of Tomorrow,\u201d and the return of Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), who also appears in \u201cSuperman\u201d and \u201cPeacemaker.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBut when it comes to what \u201cLanterns\u201d might signal for the future of the newly revamped DCU, it\u2019s all about creative voices being at the forefront.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou can\u2019t go out of bounds in terms of storylines that James and Peter want to do,\u201d Lindelof said. \u201cBut artistically, they\u2019re giving us a lot of freedom to tell the story how we want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Selena Gomez Slams \u2018Completely Meritless\u2019 Wondermind Lawsuit, Will File to Dismiss \u2018Baseless Claims\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLanterns\u201d premieres Sunday, Aug. 16 on HBO Max.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Lanterns” co-creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King break down the creative freedom they felt working on Season 1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54],"tags":[4643,394,4644,4645],"class_list":["post-5968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tv","tag-chris-mundy","tag-damon-lindelof","tag-lanterns-2","tag-tom-king"],"yoast_head":"\n\u2018Lanterns\u2019 Bosses and Stars on How the Show\u2019s Grounded Approach Ushers in an \u2018Entirely Different Kind of Superhero\u2019 - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=5968\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018Lanterns\u2019 Bosses and Stars on How the Show\u2019s Grounded Approach Ushers in an \u2018Entirely Different Kind of Superhero\u2019 - 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