HBO's Green Lantern show is not just two guys with matching glow sticks. Showrunner Chris Mundy just spelled out how John Stewart and Hal Jordan actually use their rings differently, and it tracks with who they are as people. Also, yes, the series is playing with multiple timelines. Fun.
How the rings work for John vs. Hal
Talking to Men's Health, Mundy said the show leans into the idea that the Lantern rings are as much about imagination and emotion as raw power. For John Stewart specifically, the ring is an outlet for creativity and feeling. Think artist first, blunt instrument second.
'One thing we attacked from the beginning was that the Green Lantern powers, a lot of it is based in creativity. To manifest things from the Lantern rings, you've got to manifest something from your brain—but also kind of from your soul. What does that look like? What does it feel like?'
Mundy frames it like an artist shaping a piece in real time, which puts a lot on Aaron Pierre, who is playing John Stewart. According to Mundy, Pierre sells that inner life and gets why John would value that aspect of the job.
Hal Jordan, on the other hand, is more... direct. The writers joke his preferred move is basically a giant green punch. Not subtle, very Hal.
The show is hopping through time
Here is the nerdy process detail: Lanterns unfolds across more than one time period. That structure is cool on paper and tricky in practice, because Mundy says the real challenge is keeping the characters firmly themselves no matter where the timeline drops them.
Where this lands and who is in it
- Title: Lanterns, an HBO series from Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios
- Cast: Aaron Pierre as John Stewart; Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
- Release window: expected to premiere next year on Max
- Creative stance: John channels creativity and emotion through the ring; Hal favors straightforward, heavy-hitting constructs
- Format wrinkle: story plays out across multiple time periods, with an emphasis on consistent character cores
- Source of the new details: Chris Mundy in a chat with Men's Health