‘Lanterns’: Aaron Pierre And Stephan James Reportedly Up For John Stewart Role In HBO’s DCU Series

Just days ago, Kyle Chandler landed the role of Hal Jordan in HBO’s DC Studios series Lanterns. That left open the role of new recruit John Stewart, arguably the most popular of the DC Comics Green Lanterns. While a number of names have been rumored, Deadline has an update on the finalists.

The report says that Aaron Pierre and Stephan James are the top choices to join Chandler in Lanterns. Both actors have been in the rumor mill in recent weeks, along with Snowfall and Outside the Wire actor Damson Idris. Idris no longer seems to be in contention.

Lanterns is created by  Damon Lindelof (Lost, Watchmen), Chris Mundy (Ozark), and comic book writer Tom King. The eight-episode series will follow legendary Green Lantern Hal Jordan and rookie John Stewart as they investigate a murder in America’s heartland.

Pierre could be the frontrunner as he’s red hot right now following his awesome performance in Rebel Ridge. He also has previous DC experience, having played Dev-Em in Syfy’s Superman series, Krypton. For a time, Pierre was attached to Marvel’s troubled Blade movie but dropped out because that shit is never happening. James is known for his many dramatic performances in Race, Selma, If Beale Street Could Talk, and his Golden Globe nominated role in Homeland. He’ll be seen next in The Piano Lesson, a film poised for the awards season.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.