Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad) and Stephan James (Homecoming) have emerged as leading candidates to portray John Stewart in HBO’s highly anticipated series Lanterns, based on the Green Lantern DC comic. They would star alongside Kyle Chandler, who is set to play Hal Jordan. However, sources indicate that no formal offers have yet been made, and HBO declined to comment on the casting.
This news comes as the search for the perfect actor to embody John Stewart approaches its conclusion. Previously, names like Damson Idris from Snowfall were also in the mix. Notably, Pierre has prior experience in the DC universe, having portrayed Dev-Em in Syfy’s Krypton.
Lanterns, produced by HBO in collaboration with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, is helmed by Chris Mundy of Ozark, with Damon Lindelof from Watchmen and comic book writer Tom King co-writing and executive producing. The eight-episode series follows John Stewart, a new recruit, and veteran Lantern Hal Jordan as they delve into a dark, Earth-centric mystery surrounding a murder in Middle America.
James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chairmen of DC Studios, previously stated that “John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters,” emphasizing that Lanterns is a crucial part of the unified DC Universe set to launch next summer with Superman.
Pierre has recently portrayed Malcolm X in National Geographic’s Genius: MLK, and will voice the title character in Mufasa: The Lion King. James, nominated for a Golden Globe for Homecoming and an Emmy for #FreeRayshawn, has just completed filming Beacon 23, with upcoming roles in The Piano Lesson and War Machine.
