Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler has been cast in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU as Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern TV series Lanterns.
Though Chandler was reportedly in talks to star last month, DC Studios co-CEO Gunn has now confirmed his involvement in a Threads post. “You’ve been asking for a while,” Gunn said. “Well now (and just now) it’s official. Welcome to the DCU, Kyle Chandler, our Hal Jordan.”
The casting confirmation came hours after Gunn revealed Aaron Pierre was also joining the DCU — a revamped cinematic universe headlined by 2025’s Superman — as John Stewart. Lanterns will see him and Chandler’s Hal Jordan team up in a seemingly Men in Black style formula.
“The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland,” reads the official synopsis.
Lanterns was announced as one of the 10 films and shows coming in the DCU’s Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters in 2023 but was only properly greenlit for eight episodes on HBO in June 2024. It has no release date as of yet.
It’s one of just a few projects actually in production, joined by Superman, another film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and TV shows Peacemaker Season 2, animated project Creature Commandos (which kicks off the DCU in December), and a handful of other animated projects.
Another Green Lantern (there are several in the Green Lantern Corps) will appear in the DCU too, as Nathan Fillion is already confirmed to play Guy Gardner in Superman.
He’ll be joined in the film by David Corenswet as the Man of Steel and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, alongside Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, and María Gabriela as The Engineer. Gunn confirmed these actors would play the roles in other DCU projects too.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
