Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: HBO

  • Is ‘Lanterns’ Actually a Prequel? Decoding the Hal Jordan Continuity Mystery

    Is ‘Lanterns’ Actually a Prequel? Decoding the Hal Jordan Continuity Mystery

    One single line from the first teaser for HBO’s Lanterns has sent the internet into a tailspin as the first cracks in the continuity of the all-new, all-different DCU could be showing.

    In a world where Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is already an established, public-facing hero–as seen in last year’s Superman–why is Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan acting like he’s the only human to ever touch a power ring?

    The Line That Launched a Thousand Theories

    The moment in question occurs early in the teaser when Hal Jordan refers to himself as the only human Green Lantern in a conversation with new recruit John Stewart.

    For the casual viewer, it’s a line that establishes Hal’s veteran status. For the die-hards who just watched Guy Gardner trade quips with David Corenswet’s Superman, it’s a massive continuity red flag. As seen in Superman, Guy Gardner is not just a Lantern; he’s a celebrity. So, did Marvel’s “Quality over Quantity” rival just make its first major continuity blunder?

    Probably not. Knowing James Gunn, the answer is either a very specific character trait or, more likely, a shift in the timeline.

    The Case for the Prequel

    The leading theory—and truly the more interesting one—is that Lanterns is a prequel set years before the events of Superman.

    The official synopsis for the show repeatedly refers to John Stewart as a “new recruit.” If the show were set in the current DCU timeline (late 2025/early 2026), John would be joining a world already populated by Guy Gardner and potentially other Earth-based heroes.

    As has been widely discussed since the teaser debuted, Hal’s gear looks ancient. It’s weathered, tactical, and looks like it belongs in a world where the Justice Gang doesn’t exist yet. Setting the show in the early 2010s or 2020s would allow the “Earth-based mystery” to feel isolated and high-stakes without the interference of other caped icons.

    While Nathan Fillion is confirmed to appear in the series, his role has been described as “smug and devious.” Fillion himself recently teased in Gizmodo that “Guy Gardner is no longer comfortable” by the end of the show. Could this suggest that  Lanterns may also be Guy’s origin story—perhaps a moment where the ring chooses him after Hal’s era comes to an end?

    The “Hal is a Jerk” Alternative

    Of course, there is a second, much more “Green Lantern” explanation: Hal Jordan is just being Hal Jordan.

    In the comics, Hal’s relationship with Guy Gardner is defined by mutual loathing. Hal famously views himself as the True Lantern of Earth. It’s entirely possible that Lanterns takes place in the present day, and Hal simply refuses to acknowledge Guy Gardner as a legit Lantern. To Hal, a loudmouth like Guy is a glitch in the system, not a partner.

    However, this doesn’t explain why John Stewart—a man who presumably watches the news—wouldn’t mention the flying ginger with the bowl cut who just helped save Metropolis.

    3 CENTURIES AGO, the first superpowered beings, known as METAHUMANS, appeared on earth, ushering in a new era of GODS AND MONSTERS.

    3 DECADES AGO, an extraterrestrial baby was sent in a spacecraft to Earth, and adopted by Kansas farmers.

    3 YEARS AGO, the baby, now grown, announced himself as SUPERMAN, the most powerful metahuman of all.

    3 WEEKS AGO, Superman stopped the country of BORAVIA from invading JARHANPUR, sparking controversy around the world.

    3 HOURS AGO, a metahuman called THE HAMMER OF BORAVIA attacked Superman in the city of METROPOLIS.

    3 MINUTES AGO, Superman lost a battle for the first time.

    From a production standpoint, the prequel angle is the smartest play for HBO. The key to prestige TV is making the story feel standalone, and setting Lanterns before Superman–especially when it’s been established that metahumans have been known for some time–opens some intriguing doors.

    By setting Lanterns in the past, Gunn, Chris Mundy, and Tom King can deliver a True Detective style thriller that isn’t burdened by the “Where was Superman during this?” question. It allows the Hal/John dynamic to be the center of the universe, building the foundation of the Green Lantern Corps lore before we see them fully integrated into the larger DCU battles of 2027 and beyond.

    And then it leaves plenty of room to ask questions about why neither Hal nor John are present in Superman. Do Hal and John  get wrapped up in something that takes them both into space to investigate further? Or maybe just John?

    Whether it’s a prequel or just a case of selective memory from a jaded Hal Jordan, the mystery is officially part of the marketing and the human Lantern discrepancy is likely the first breadcrumb in a trail that leads directly to the ancient horror at the heart of the series.

  • 5 Things to Hunt for in Tomorrow’s ‘LANTERNS’ Teaser

    5 Things to Hunt for in Tomorrow’s ‘LANTERNS’ Teaser

    Tomorrow is the big day. We’ve been talking about the shift from space opera to “Earth-based mystery” for over a year, and now we finally get to see if James Gunn’s “Gods and Monsters” gamble pays off. But don’t let the Nebraska setting fool you—this show is intended to be the connective tissue for the entire DCU.

    As you’re watching the footage tomorrow, here is exactly what I’ll be looking for:

    1. The “Ancient Evil”

    James Gunn has been very specific about Hal and John finding an “ancient horror” on Earth. Rumors have been swirling about everything from The Centre (from New Frontier) to The Rot. Look for any imagery that feels Lovecraftian or out of place in a small-town murder mystery. If we see something that doesn’t look like a typical alien, it’s a sign that the DCU’s overarching big bad is closer than we think.

    2. The Suit (or Lack Thereof)

    There’s been a lot of internal chatter about whether the Lantern suits will be practical or CG. Given the leaked first look at Hal’s brown(?) suit, we may see much for of him and John them in plain clothes with the rings glowing, indicating that DC Studios is leaning into the Supercop grit rather than the superhero spectacle.

    We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.

    -James Gunn

    3. Ch’p and the Weirdness

    You can’t have a Tom King/James Gunn project without a dash of the weird. Reports have suggested that the fan-favorite squirrel Lantern, Ch’p, might get a name-drop or a brief cameo. If a talking rodent shows up in a gritty HBO procedural, you’ll know exactly whose fingerprints are on the script.

    4. The “Hal is a Jerk” Factor

    Showrunner Chris Mundy has described Hal Jordan as having a “Chuck Yeager vibe”—someone you’re not sure if you want to hug or punch. Keep an eye on the friction between Chandler’s Hal and Pierre’s John. If the teaser emphasizes their bickering over their heroics, it confirms the buddy-cop dynamic is the real heart of the show.

    5. Sinestro’s Shadow

    We know Ulrich Thomsen is in the mix as Sinestro, but will he be a friend or foe yet? Look for any purple-tinted shadows or a mention of the Yellow spectrum. If he’s still a Green Lantern in this teaser, it sets up a massive fall from grace arc for later in the series.

  • ‘Lanterns’ Star, Showrunner Tease John Stewart’s Discordant Dynamic with Hal Jordan

    ‘Lanterns’ Star, Showrunner Tease John Stewart’s Discordant Dynamic with Hal Jordan

    DC Studios co-chair James Gunn has big plans for the Green Lantern Corps; however, with the potential sale of Warner Bros. Discovery creating uncertainty around the future of the new DCU, it remains to be seen how much of those plans will come to fruition. Those concerns don’t look to be halting the release of the HBO Max streaming series Lanterns, set to debut in 2026.

    With Rebel Ridge breakout star Aaron Pierre and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) cast as John Stewart and Hal Jordan, respectively, Lanterns has all the cache of an HBO Prestige series. Created by  an all-star team of writers led by Ozark‘s Chris Mundy, DC Comics’ ace Tom King and TV icon Damon Lindelof, the series is meant to play a key role in the larger, shared narrative of the DCU…should it get to play out. But even if it doesn’t, it sounds as though the series will serve as a solid standalone story.

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU…

    -James Gunn

    In a wide-ranging interview with Men’s Health, Pierre and Mundy set the stage for the series, which the latter calls “as much of a buddy cop show as a superhero show.”

    From the sounds of it, Lanterns will see Pierre‘s Stewart, who the actor says “radiates strength and fortitude,” being prepped as a replacement for Hal Jordan which, as one might expect, will cause some friction between the two.

    “Our show is in a lot of ways about replacement—when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins? That push and pull between those two characters is really important,” Mundy explained.

    We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.

    -James Gunn

    Pierre describes Stewart as a man who has “That hunger to be the best version of yourself, which also holds you accountable when you’re not.” According to Mundy, that resolve will be challenged by what sounds like a pretty abrasive Jordan.

    “So much of the power that John has is by not taking the bait, understanding that you lose your power if you’re yelling and screaming,” said Mundy. “That’s what we’re trying to convey: He knows he belongs, so he doesn’t have to overcompensate. There’s a real balance there that’s just innately inside of Aaron. He’s big. He’s an intimidating presence just physically. But there’s a softness to him too. There’s a thoughtfulness. You can’t teach that.”

    Should Stewart’s story continue beyond Lanterns, it sounds as though he’ll come out of the streaming series truly tested by Jordan, making him more than worthy as his successor.

    Source: Men’s Health

  • DC Studios’ Reportedly Preparing to Film “Insane” Sci-fi Series

    DC Studios’ Reportedly Preparing to Film “Insane” Sci-fi Series

    Even as James Gunn and Peter Safran set out to build the DCU, the DC Studios’ co-chairs have made it clear that creatives will have freedom to tell stories through different mediums, genres and aesthetics. And so while Gunn’s Superman looks to be a bright, pulpy take on the Man of Steel, it takes place in the same continuity as Mike Flannigan‘s body horror flick, Clayface, and James Mangold‘s Swamp Thing, described as a “simple gothic horror movie.”

    The idea is, of course, in line with the long publishing history of DC Comics and should have a similar impact at DC Studios in that it will allow for original ideas to evolve into (hopefully) great superhero stories. One of the earliest test cases for the premise may well be Lanterns, a streaming series that continues to sound a lot like an HBO prestige series. And if one cast member is to be believed, fans may not quite be ready for what DC Studios is about to do with Hal Jordan and John Stewart’s “terrestrial-based investigation story.”

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU…

    -James Gunn
    In an interview with Collider, Poorna Jagannathan, who was cast in a supporting role in Lanterns, described it as “the best sci-fi script I’ve ever read.”

    “This is the first script that I’ve read that I understand why there’s an NDA,” explained Jagannathan. “Everything is so insane. It is the best writing that I have ever read.” Created by Ozark writer Chris Mundy, DC Comics ace Tom King and TV legend Damon Lindelof, Lanterns will focus on two of the corps‘ most well-known members, John Stewart and Hal Jordan who will be working as “supercops on Precinct Earth.”

    “I don’t know anything about sci-fi, and I don’t care, actually,” continued Jagannathan. “But this script makes sci-fi seem like my world. It makes it so accessible to me. I understand everything about this world even though I don’t understand this world.”

    The series, with an impressive cast led by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre, had already begun to generate some buzz online and Jagannathan’s comments won’t do anything to temper expectations. With cameras set to roll this week, it may only be a matter of time before DC Studios gives fans a first look at Lanterns which is expected to stream in mid-2026.

    Source: Collider

  • DC Studios Casts Ulrich Thomsen as Classic Legion of Doom Villain

    DC Studios Casts Ulrich Thomsen as Classic Legion of Doom Villain

    First introduced in ABC’s Challenge of the Superfriends in 1978, the Legion of Doom has since appeared across multiple mediums and become a staple of supervillainy for DC. Originally assembled by Lex Luthor, the Legion consisted of 13 baddies from the rogues galleries of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern.

    Over the years, different iterations of the team have added and subtracted members and grown the roster beyond the original 13. In any case, the group represents a sinister and serious threat to heroes of the DC Universe. And while it may be years down the road, there’s some chance that the all-new DCU might bring the characters together on the big screen for the first time.

    With Nicholas Hoult already on board as Lex Luthor in Superman, a second key member of the Legion of Doom is now confirmed to be on the way as well. According to a trade report, Banshee and The Blacklist star Ulrich Thomsen has joined Lanterns as Sinestro.

    In Lanterns, it seems Thomsen will be playing the charactsr as “a former Green Lantern who turned rogue and is described as ruthless yet undeniably charming. Sinestro’s manipulative nature drives his enduring obsession with his former mentee, Hal Jordan.” Traditionally, Sinestro has been Jordan’s mentor, making the DCU’s take a fresh one that could provide some unique narrative opportunities.

    Said to play “a really big role leading us into the main story” of DC Studios’ Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, Lanterns was created by what DC Studios’ co-chair James Gunn described as “a crack team of writers” that consists of Tom King, Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof and was ordered straight to series by HBO in 2024.

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.

    -James Gunn and Peter Safran

    Lanterns will revolve around Green Lantern Corps members Hal Jordan and John Stewart finding an “ancient horror on Earth.” Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre were cast as Jordan and Stewart, respectively. Word is that Jordan will be a grizzled vet–which makes Chandler a great choice–and that Stewart, played by the up-and-coming Pierre, will be a new member of the Corps working with him as “supercops on Precinct Earth.” Nathan Fillion‘s Guy Gardner, who will debut in Superman, is also reportedly set to play a role in the series.

    We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.

    -James Gunn

    Lanterns will begin production this year and is expected to release in mid-2026 on Max.

    Source: Deadline

  • REVIEW: ‘Creature Commandos’

    REVIEW: ‘Creature Commandos’

    While it certainly would not be fair to pigeonhole James Gunn, it is reasonable to say the DC Studios’ co-CEO finds comfort in a certain creative wheelhouse. Though the projects that make up his filmography span multiple genres, Gunn has unabashedly declared his love for superheroes and defended the prolific rise of their place in Hollywood’s pecking order against those who disdainfully regard them as unimaginative pop culture sedatives. From Scooby-Doo, to Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad, Gunn has demonstrated an adroit understanding of how to curate the interpersonal dynamics of a team of characters in a way that allows for each member to be integral to the team while also having an individual arc.

    Gunn was indubitably firmly within his creative wheelhouse while crafting the DC Studios’ animated streaming series Creature Commandos and the result is a frenzied and brilliant opening act for the all-new DC Universe.

    Before encumbering himself with the unbearable weight of the responsibility of introducing the next iteration of Superman to the world, Gunn chose to dive down a very particular and peculiar rabbit hole with Creature Commandos. Intended as an opportunity “for people to just take a little nibble [of the all-new DCU] and see what it tastes like,” the seven-episode animated series assuredly accomplishes its goal. To introduce a brand new interconnected universe through the lens of monstrous outcasts is quite a bold statement on Gunn‘s part made even more outlandish by delivering it via animation. However, Creature Commandos, scaffolded by Gunn’s credibility in the superhero genre, arouses such powerful feelings of pity and sympathy for the members of Task Force M that despite teasing and referencing the inceptive DCU, fans will find themselves so entirely entranced by its cast of rejects that they’ll almost certainly be asking for more adventures…for the characters that survive.

    Set two years after the events of The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos leads off DC Studios’ lineup with gratuitous sanguination and fornication while delivering soul-crushing suffering to each member of the team. Led by sublime voice performances by Frank Grillo, Indira Varma, Zoe Chao and Alan Tudyk, the series lands firmly in the Goldilocks zone between obscene and acceptable, quite honestly giving everyone watching it what they want and everyone starring in it what they deserve…almost. There are no innocents, spare one, and somehow Gunn makes these monsters more human than human.

    Screenshot

    Rather than bludgeon the audience with obscenely overt cameos, Easter eggs and other references, Gunn tacitly adopted an almost Tolkien-esque approach to world-building his burgeoning DCU in Creature Commandos. Through the use of Lost-like flashbacks, each commando gets his or her own story, revealing a rich and robust world already fully developed and lived in. Outside of the members of Task Force M, plenty of other characters, such as Pokolistan’s Alexi, might make for interesting main characters in their own stories. References to larger lore are subtly sprinkled into the story, allowing the audience to understand that Batman has been active for at least 15 years, there are some strange goings on in Themyscira and there are plenty of other key locations and characters that could be explored down the road, though those stories could be set in the past, present or future of the DCU.

    While concerns that the series would ultimately be derivative of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy or The Suicide Squad are understandable and not entirely unfounded, Creature Commandos stands firmly apart from his other works. To boot, Creature Commandos may be Gunn‘s most mature and evolved creation to date; it’s comedic and tragic and bolder than anything Gunn has done. While fans may be holding out hope for the return of Harley Quinn, they may find that Gunn, who has continued to strengthen the female leads in his projects, has crafted his most complete and compelling female yet in The Bride. In fact, the character may be a metaphor for the tumultuous road Gunn‘s career has traveled. If Gunn, as the overseer of the all-new DCU, can continue to curate stories that convey the same passion, maturity and appreciation for the source material as Creature Commandos, the auspicious start that it provides for the DCU will certainly grow into something deserving of the incredible and lasting influence of DC Comics.

    About Creature Commandos

    Creature Commandos, produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans. When all else fails… they’re your last, worst option.

    The seven-episode series stars Indira Varma as The Bride, Zoe Chao as Nina Mazursky, Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Alan Tudyk as Dr. Phosphorus, Maria Bakalova as Princess Ilana, Anya Chalotra as Circe, Sean Gunn as GI Robot & Weasel, David Harbour as Frankenstein and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. 

    Creature Commandos is written and executive-produced by James Gunn. Based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation; additional executive producers include Peter Safran, Dean Lorey, and Sam Register; Rick Morales serves as a supervising producer.

    The first two episodes of Creature Commandos will debut Max on December 5th with new episodes streaming every Thursday through January 9th.

  • DC Studios Streaming Project Gets Frustrating Update

    DC Studios Streaming Project Gets Frustrating Update

    Over the past several weeks, DC Studios co-chair James Gunn has made it clear that the relatively newly formed production company has one very important guiding principle: no DCU project is given the green light until a finished script has been turned in. As a result, some projects that were not part of the studio’s original list of upcoming projects have moved ahead of those that were. For example, Luca Guadagnino‘s Sgt. Rock film seems to have far more momentum at the moment than the studio’s first Batman and Robin story, The Brave and the Bold.

    Whether it’s a lesson learned from his time at Marvel Studios, one he’s learned since announcing a slate of 10 DCU projects that has already seen it’s order rearranged or a combination of the two, it’s something that’s clearly important to Gunn and will ultimately cause less consternation and confusion among fans.

    Perhaps the best example of how quickly even the best laid plans can change is the Viola Davis-led streaming series, Waller. Originally announced as the project set to follow Creature Commandos and planned to take place between Seasons 1 and 2 of Peacemaker, progress on Waller was slowed significantly in 2023 by a pair of protracted work stoppages in Hollywood. As a result, Season 2 of Peacemaker, which recently completed principal photography, jumped up in line while work continued on Waller.

    Like Peacemaker, the idea of Waller, a spinoff of Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad, predates the existence of the all-new DCU. In development since 2022, Waller is being written by Christal Henry (Watchmen) and Jeremy Carver (Supernatural, Doom Patrol). Gunn has said the series “won’t be as much a comedy as Peacemaker” while adding that it is “really fantastic and HBO loves it.”

    While the series obviously hasn’t been completely cast with no firm production start innsight, a few key characters will make their returns beside Davis’ Amanda Waller. One of those will be Steve Agee‘s A.R.G.U.S. agent John Economos, who played a key role in Season 1 of Peacemaker and will make an appearance in Creature Commandos. While promoting the latter in an interview with Screen Rant, Agee updated the progress on Waller.

    “I think they’re still doing scripts, so there’s no set time yet, and James won’t start something until he’s absolutely happy with the scripts and they’re they’re ready to go,” explained Agee. “So once they’re ready, I’m sure he’ll announce a start time – as an actor who loves to work, it can’t happen soon enough, though, for me!“

    And so a project once on track for a 2025 release date is currently undated and, as of now, still being written. While there’s no doubt that Waller will eventually make its way to HBO, it stands as a great example of why, moving forward, Gunn has decided to keep projects under wraps, at least officially, until they’re ready to roll.

    Source: Screen Rant

  • James Gunn Updates DC Studios’ Slate, Reveals ‘Lanterns’ Release Window

    James Gunn Updates DC Studios’ Slate, Reveals ‘Lanterns’ Release Window

    Fans are about to get their first look at the all-new DCU when the seven-episode animated series Creature Commandos debuts on Max in December 5th. Written by DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, the series “tracks a secret team of incarcerated monsters recruited for missions deemed too dangerous for humans” and will introduce the world to a shared universe already populated with heroes and villains.

    Announced by Gunn and co-chair Peter Safran as part of the initial DC Studios’ slate reveal in January 2023, Creature Commandos kept pace during production to meet its intended target date as the DCU’s first project. Superman, starring David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel, was always meant to follow Creature Commandos and is on track to do so. However, following that, the release order of the rest of the slate was always a bit murky, though it has started to take shape over the past several months.

    As always, Gunn has been active in social media and shared updates on the work taking place behind the scenes to get the DCU up and running. As part of those updates, the co-chair revealed that some projects that were part of the original slate reveal are taking longer to develop while others that were not announced are moving ahead. Now, in an interview with IGN, Gunn laid out exactly what fans can expect over the next two years, including the first hint at when Lanterns will hit HBO.

    “It’s really Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker, Lanterns, Supergirl,” said Gunn. “And then some things people don’t know,” he teased. Asked to clarify if Lanterns would stream ahead of the June 26, 2026 release of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Gunn replied “we’ll see when it comes out, but they’re around the same time.” Spring/Summer 2026 it is!

    • December 5, 2024-Creature Commandos (streaming on Max)
    • July 11, 2025-Superman (in theaters)
    • August 2025-Peacemaker, Season 2 (streaming on Max)
    • Spring/Summer 2026-Lanterns (streaming on Max)
    • June 26, 2026-Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (in theaters)

    With Gunn providing a glimpse of what to expect over the next two years, it may be a while before fans learn the identities of the unknown projects he teased. With no updates on announced projects such The Brave and The Bold, The Authority, Booster Gold and more, it’s clear that expectations should be for only a couple of DC Studios’ releases per year for the foreseeable future.

    Source: IGN

  • NYCC: DC Studios Head James Gunn Talks ‘Creature Commandos’ Team Dynamics and Rolls Out Bloody New Trailer

    NYCC: DC Studios Head James Gunn Talks ‘Creature Commandos’ Team Dynamics and Rolls Out Bloody New Trailer

    In less than two months, DC Studios’ all-new, all-different DCU will get with the debut of the canonical animated series Creature Commandos. Written by DC Studios co-chair James Gunn, the project will see characters from Amanda Waller’s Non-Human Internment Division team up with Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) to run black-ops missions.

    With a cast of stars including David Harbour, Maria Bakalova and Sean Gunn joining Grillo and Steve Agee, who will be reprising his role as John Economos from Peacemaker, Creature Commandos will set the tone for the DCU and, if the new trailer that debuted at NYCC 2024 is any indication, it will be a far more brutal and bloody universe than many expected. But while the trailer looked like it might give Amazon Studios’ Invincible a run for its money in terms of straight-up savagery, Gunn explained that the DCU does not have an “overall aesthetic.” “Each project out of DC Studios is going to be its own thing,” said Gunn. “It’s a connected universe, but there’s not an overall aesthetic.” So despite the gory trailer shown at NYCC, fans probably shouldn’t expect David Corenswet‘s Superman to have too much in common with Homelander.

    Gunn proved to be incredibly capable of balancing the dynamics and screentime of teams with Marvel Studios Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy; however, according to the Creature Commandos writer and producer, there’s some difference between the two team projects. “The characters aren’t all perfect,” said Gunn before adding that some characters in the series die for no reason. As for how the team comes together, Gunn explained that while that happens in Episode 1, “Lost-style” flashbacks will provide additional background on the Commandos. From there, a bromance between David Harbour‘s Frankenstein and Grillo‘s Flag was teased as well as an interesting romance brewing between Flag and Princess Ilana Rostovic, played by Bakalova.

    It looks as though Creature Commandos will have a lot going for it when it streams on HBO beginning December 5th.

    Source: Comic Book Club

  • DC Studios Officially Reveals Its ‘Lanterns’ Co-Stars

    DC Studios Officially Reveals Its ‘Lanterns’ Co-Stars

    DC Studios’ Lanterns is ready for launch. After assembling an all-star team of writers led by Ozark‘s Chris Mundy, DC Comics’ ace Tom King and TV icon Damon Lindelof, the first DCU streaming series quickly began the process of assembling talent on both sides of the camera with an eye of some big time stars filling the roles of co-leads Hal Jordan and John Stewart. After an extensive search that included some A-list turndowns, DC Studios has officially announced the pair of talented actors that will lead the HBO prestige series.

    John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.

    -DC Studios’ co-chairs James Gunn and Peter Safran on Lanterns
    Via social media, Max revealed that Rebel Ridge breakout star Aaron Pierre and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) have been cast as John Stewart and Hal Jordan, respectively.

    Previously described as a “terrestrial-based investigation story” that “plays a really big role leading us into the main story” in the DCU’s first chapter of stories, Lanterns will revolve around the central characters finding an “ancient horror on Earth.” Word is that Jordan will be a grizzled vet–which makes Chandler a great choice–and that Stewart, played by the up-and-coming Pierre, will be a new member of the Corps working with him as “supercops on Precinct Earth.”

    We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU.

    -James Gunn on Lanterns

    News of Chandler‘s inclusion in the project was first shared by the THR at the end of September. Pierre had recently been reported to be on the DC Studios’ shortlist for the role of Stewart. Production on Lanterns is slated to being in Atlanta early in 2025 which means the series is likely to find its way to HBO in 2026.