Laura Linney Reportedly Joins DC’s ‘Lanterns’

Preview:

• Laura Linney is being linked to a role in DC/HBO series ‘Lanterns.’
• There is speculation that she’s playing Carol Ferris.
• Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre star in the new show.

Though it already has an impressive cast, new DC Studios/HBO comic book-based series ‘Lanterns’ appears to have gotten an extra shot of dramatic power.

According to reporter Jeff Sneider, Laura Linney –– who worked with the new show’s co-creator Chris Mundy on ‘Ozark’ is aboard the show.

No official confirmation has emerged yet, but Sneider is already speculating that she could be playing Carol Ferris, the love of Lantern Hal Jordan’s life (that role is being brought to screens by Kyle Chandler) and someone who ultimately –– in the comics, at least –– becomes the villain known as Star Sapphire.

That’s all still rumor and conjecture at this point, but we do know that Aaron Pierre is co-starring alongside Chandler as fellow Lantern John Stewart.

Related Article: Nathan Fillion to Reprise ‘Superman’ Guy Gardner Role in HBO’s ‘Lanterns’

What’s the story of ‘Green Lantern’ in comics form?

Created in its first incarnation (a Lantern named Alan Scott) in 1940 by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger, the concept of the ‘Green Lantern’ comics is that of a super-powered, police force, battling evil doers with rings that allow them to channel energy into different forms. There are many Lanterns, who patrol the known and unknown universe.

‘Green Lantern’s history on screen has been seriously mixed. Though different takes on the character have flourished in animated movies and series, their live-action counterparts have had less luck. Ryan Reynolds played the Hal Jordan version in a 2011 movie that didn’t triumph at the box office, and there have been fleeting glimpses on the small screen.

Even Zack Snyder didn’t manage to realize his chosen Lantern –– John Stewart –– in his mammoth Snyder Cut of ‘Justice League’. Despite shooting a cameo with Wayne T. Carr as Stewart, Warners asked him to remove the character because of the studio’s own plans. In the end, Snyder swapped in Martian Manhunter.

And the show had been in development before Gunn and Safran made their big DC Studios announcement. Back in 2020, ‘Pride and Prejudice and Zombies’ Seth Grahame-Smith hopped aboard to write and run what HBO Max (as the streaming service was then called) was picturing its most expensive series to date, a space-set ‘Green Lantern’ drama whose focus would be the Alan Scott and Guy Gardner iterations of the character among the first and most popular versions.

‘Lanterns’ will follow the Chandler and Pierre characters, as new recruit Stewart and Lantern legend Jordan are described in the latest official synopsis as “two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

So, think ‘True Detective’ meets ‘Green Lantern’…

Here’s Chris Mundy on the tone for the show:

“From the start, our driving force has been to deliver a layered drama –– rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building –– that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion. The goal is to create something that feels timeless and grounded without sacrificing the magic of the source material.”

But there will be some powerful antagonism involved, as Ulrich Thomsen is playing Sinestro a former Green Lantern who turned rogue and is described as ruthless yet charming.

His manipulative nature drives his enduring obsession with his former mentee, Hal Jordan. The character was created by John Broome and Gil Kane and first appeared in the comic book “Green Lantern, Volume 2, #56” released in 1961.

Who else is in ‘Lanterns’?

The cast also includes ‘No Country for Old Man’s Kelly Macdonald, ’12 Years a Slave’ actor Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan (who appeared in (‘The Night Of’), Jason Ritter and the aforementioned Thomsen.

In breaking news, Deadline brings word that Chris Coy is also part of the ensemble.

In a guest starring role, Coy will be the new character of ‘Waylon Sanders,’ an intelligent survivor… or a nervous truck driver. Age and real name unknown, he’s unbound by the laws of nature.

More recently, we learned that Nathan Fillion would be bringing his Guy Gardner character –– another Lantern –– to the show, following his debut in James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ this summer.

Who is working on ‘Lanterns’?

Mundy, whose resume includes stints on Netflix’s ‘Ozark’ and HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’, is running the new series, working alongside ‘Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof and DC comics writer Tom King (whose ‘Supergirl’ comic is the basis for the new movie featuring the character).

And James Hawes, who has worked on series including ‘Black Mirror’ ‘Snowpiercer’ and Season 1 of ‘Slow Horses,’ will direct the first two episodes.

Here’s what Hawes has had to say to Collider about his approach to the show:

“There is a very particular humor that they brought to this. It’s very rooted in a way that I like to think we achieve with ‘Slow Horses,’ that I achieve with things like my ‘Black Mirror’ [episodes], and yet there is a rich vein of humor running through it. I’m such a huge fan of Damon [Lindelof] and Chris [Mundy] and the writing that they’ve done in the past… You always find a scene or two that you think, ‘I cant wait to be stood beside the camera and the cast, directing this scene on the day.’ “

He’s not alone –– ‘Watchmen’ veteran Stephen Williams, ‘Under the Bridge’s Geeta Vasant Patel, and former ‘Ozark’ director Alik Sakharov are also handling episodes.

Since they oversee the whole DC Studios arm, filmmaker Gunn and producer Peter Safran are executive producers alongside Ron Schmidt.

Where else have we seen Laura Linney?

‘Ozark’ is just one of this talented actor’s many credits.

She’s enjoyed a healthy career on screens big and small, appearing in movies such as ‘Nocturnal Animals,’‘Sully,’‘Mr. Holmes,’‘The Fifth Estate,’‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose,’‘Mystic River,’‘The Savages,’ (for which she was Oscar nominated) ‘Love Actually,’‘You Can Count on Me,’’The Truman Show’ and ‘Congo.’

On TV, her roles include ‘Tales of the City,’‘The Big C,’‘John Adams’ and ‘Frasier.’

When will ‘Lanterns’ be on screens?

We’re still waiting to learn when HBO will premiere the show, though it is reportedly targeting an early 2026 launch.

List of Green Lantern Movies and TV Shows:

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