Although I’ve known about Green Lantern since even before I started watching Justice League, one of the best animated TV shows, as a kid, it was reading Geoff Johns’ run on the Green Lantern comic book that made me a hardcore fan of this DC Comics property. Hal Jordan was the main character during this period, so he quickly became my favorite of the ring-slingers, and I was already looking forward to seeing Kyle Chandler’s version of him in the upcoming DC TV show Lanterns. Now that excitement has kicked up a notch with the report that the DC Universe series will allegedly depict one of Hal’s best character-defining moments.
According to Nexus Point News, Hal Jordan’s parents, Martin and Jessica Jordan, are being cast in Lanterns. Martin is described in the article as a pilot who is “handsome, confident, charming, but hides a deep sadness,” and the show will depict his death when Hal is a boy. Jessica is said to be “emotionless after the death of her husband,” and we’ll see her in a funeral scene. The adolescent Hal, whom we’ll see in multiple scenes, is described as “defiant, spirited, brave, and a rule breaker who follows in his father’s footsteps.”
In the comics, Hal Jordan’s father was a test pilot who died when the fighter jet he was flying malfunctioned and erupted into flames. Having witnessed this devastating moment firsthand, Martin’s death pushed Hal to also become a test pilot and not allow himself to be controlled by fear. He was flying in his own aircraft when his predecessor, Abin Sur, selected him to become the new Green Lantern for Sector 2814. Going off this information, it sounds like we’ll see the DCU’s Martin die in a similar, if not the exact same way, just like the Green Lantern movie did.
Lanterns exploring Hal Jordan’s childhood makes sense considering the show will be doing that with Aaron Pierre’s version of John Stewart. In addition to Nicole Ari Parker playing John’s mother, Berndatte, and Sherman Augustus playing his father, John Sr., in the present day, Jasmine Cephas Jones and J. Alphonse Nicholson will play the younger versions of his parents. I’m glad that Lanterns is taking the time to exploring our two main protagonists’ pasts in the midst of their older selves investigating a murder in Nebraska.
We’ll also see Hal and John interact with Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, a fellow Green Lantern who debuts later this month in Superman, then returns in August for Peacemaker Season 2. It’s unclear, though, if any of Guy’s past will be shown in Lanterns. The show’s other notable actors include Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, Kelly McDonald as Sheriff Kerry, Garret Dillahunt as William Macon, Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe, Jason Ritter as Billy Macon and Paul Ben-Victor as Antaan, among others.
Behind the scenes, showrunner Chris Mundy developed Lanterns with Damon Lindelof and Tom King. The Green Lantern-focused show is expected to premiere on HBO sometime in the first half of 2026, and filming is set to conclude in the coming weeks.
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