HBO's DC series Lanterns has found its John Stewart

Kyle Chandler is already on the cast list as Green Lantern hero Hal Jordan, but an actor has now also been cast for the role of John Stewart. Aaron Pierre (pictured), the lead actor in Netflix's Rebel Ridge, has landed the role of Green Lantern John Stewart in DC Studios and HBO's controversial series Lanterns. The casting is one of the most scrutinized searches for actors in a long time. Not only is the series the first major television project from DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, but Stewart's role is also very important, as the fan-favorite comic book character was one of DC's first black superheroes.



The intense casting process came down to Pierre and Stephan James, who is on the festival circuit with the drama The Piano Lesson and co-starred in the 2016 Jesse Owens biographical film Race. Both participated in screen tests, with the actors competing against previously cast Kyle Chandler last week. Both actors had his support and support, but the final decision was made last week.

Pierre certainly brings heat to the series, as the actor has rocketed to the top of casting lists over the course of a few months. His starring role in Jeremy Saulnier's Rebel Ridge debuted on Netflix on September 6 and was the number one title worldwide on Netflix for three weeks in a row.

The actor has already come into contact with the comic world. He was once cast opposite Mahershala Ali in Marvel Studios' Blade, but the version of the long-delayed film changed and he will no longer be involved. He also appeared in Old by M. Night Shyamalan, an adaptation of a graphic novel.

Reportedly having a gritty True Detective vibe, Lanterns follows Hal Jordan, a legend among the space police known as the Green Lanterns, as he reluctantly trains Stewart, a younger Green Lantern. The two intergalactic agents become embroiled in a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the heartland of America.

Chandler, a series veteran thanks to acclaimed roles in Friday Night Lights and Bloodline, will star as Jordan.

James Hawes, an established television director who directed several episodes of the Gary Oldman spy series Slow Horses, has been tapped to direct the first two episodes of the science fiction police series.

Lanterns has a straight-to-series order at HBO and comes from highly qualified creators. Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen (2019), Lost) and Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Tom King serve as executive producers and writers. Mundy is in charge of what is planned as an eight-episode season. Hawes also joins as executive producer.

Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams introduced Stewart in 1971's Green Lantern #87, 12 years after Hal Jordan and the larger Green Lantern Corps myth emerged.

Pierre was recently seen in National Geographic's Genius: MLK/X, portraying civil rights leader Malcolm X. Previously, he starred in SyFy's DC series Krypton and Barry Jenkins' award-winning miniseries The Underground Railroad. In December, Pierre will take on the title role of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins' CG-animated Lion King prequel for Disney. Next year he will also star in Apple TV+'s The Morning Show.