The last time we saw Green Lantern become the centre of his own film was fifteen years ago, with the critically panned Martin Campbell movie.
The cosmic quality of the DC superhero, on top of his over the top powers that allow him to build any conceivable thing from his ring weapon, can be difficult to grasp for many audiences. Finding the right balance between self-awareness and being grounded is key to making Green Lantern live up to his potential.
In the new HBO Max and DC Studios series "Lanterns", we see Green Lantern at the latter stage of his career, training a candidate to replace him. Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) has served as Green Lantern for several decades, investigating extraterrestrial cases across the larger cosmos, but time is finite, and another person must eventually take up his mantle.
"Lanterns" follows Jordan and his protégé, former U.S. Marine John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), as they investigate alien threats on Earth. It is a promising show that finally gives Green Lantern the screen treatment he deserves, thanks in large part to the chemistry between Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Actors Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre spoke about their partnership as Hal and John, and how their dynamic came together.
Chandler said the process began simply, with no grand plan attached. "The first thing we did was get to know each other on the set, and get to know all the other people on the set," he explained. "The production were more than willing, I think, to let us make mistakes and find our way, so everyone could find something."
Pierre added, "The first thing we wanted to establish was safety. Once safety is established, you feel an ease, and you feel at liberty to explore, try things. We like to improvise. We like to try things. We like to surprise each other."
Kyle Chandler on playing a superhero in his 50s
For Kyle Chandler, stepping into the superhero role of an older version of Hal Jordan in his own 50s wasn't a stretch so much as an unexpected gift.
"When I got this, I was like, oh wow, really? I'm going to be a superhero? Me? There are things that come to you with your older years that you get to use in a project like this," Chandler said.
That perspective brings its own kind of humour to the show, alongside something he considers genuinely important. "It's really important to show older people's lives within this young culture we've got going on. There's a little bit of goodness and some wisdom in that."
Aaron Pierre on playing John Stewart
Aaron Pierre described a much more internal process in preparing to play John Stewart, one he continued well past filming the show. "I did an immense amount of personal research before portraying John Stewart, but there's a point with every character where you have to bring a level of yourself and your truth to the portrayal. Otherwise, it's not authentic."
"John to me is somebody who is a raging sea internally. Externally, he's a gentleman. He's precise, he's accurate, he's intentional, he's clean. But internally, he's a raging sea, he's a tornado, he's a volcano."
Pierre also briefly shared how his own past allowed him to deeply connect with the complexities of John Stewart. "I've had my fair share of learning to master my sober mind and learning to navigate my experiences as somebody who feels things very heavily and deeply."
"I feel very seen by John, and I'm ready to do this till the wheels fall off, to be honest with you."
The premiere episode of DC Studios’ “Lanterns” premieres Monday, 17 August, only on HBO Max. New weekly episodes drop every Monday.
Featured images from HBO Max.
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