HBO has finally ignited the green flame. After years of anticipation, speculation, and more than one false start for the Green Lantern mythos in live-action form, the first official trailer for ‘Lanterns’ has arrived, and it immediately changes the conversation.
What would have been a tentative first impression, considering the rocky past of the franchise, instead sends a strong message: the DC Universe is willing to treat the Green Lantern Corps correctly.
‘Lanterns’ Trailer Highlights Hal And John’s Electric Partnership
More importantly, the video provides what many fans did not anticipate: a Hal Jordan performance that is immediately confident, assertive, and pleasantly faithful. To some, Kyle Chandler’s casting was a head-turner. For others, a risk. However, with the release of ‘Lanterns’ debut trailer, it might turn out that Chandler is not only a good choice but the right one. And the best part? The trailer does not reveal much, but still tells a lot.
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For months, only select press members had seen an early teaser. Now, HBO has positioned Lanterns next to its 2026 tentpoles, ‘Euphoria’, ‘House of the Dragon’, ‘Industry’, and the upcoming ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’, making it one of the crown jewels of the new lineup. The brief shot we have of ‘Lanterns‘ has unexpected weight. Additionally, the trailer does not take time to set the tone of the series.
Rather than throwing the reader into the cosmic grandeur, it bases the Green Lantern mythos on something much more primitive: fear, pressure, and instinct. The most memorable scene, the one everyone is discussing, shows Hal Jordan sending John Stewart’s car flying off a cliff in a brutal, unapologetic training exercise. It is the type of scene that makes you open your eyes for a moment and question whether Hal has really gone too far.
However, then you understand something important: this is precisely what Hal has always been. Brash. Reckless. And brilliant. A man who tests others because he himself has never stopped being tested. John Stewart hesitates half a second before he reaches out for the ring, not entirely believing or prepared, but pushed into a situation where instinct is survival. The manner in which the trailer edits this scene, fast, abrupt, adrenaline-filled, demonstrates the amount of trust the show places in its characters. No sugar-coating. No hand-holding. Just raw personality.
Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan Makes Sense Now
Let’s be honest: the biggest question surrounding Lanterns was Hal Jordan’s casting. Kyle Chandler is a great actor, yet a 60-year-old Hal? Fans raised eyebrows. Some were confused. Some were simply cynical. Then the trailer dropped. The doubts are suddenly irrelevant. Chandler enters the role as though he has been in it all his life. His Hal is seasoned yet keen, hardened by experience and yet savagely bold. He is the type of mentor who throws you in the fire because he knows what you are capable of.
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There’s a humanity to Chandler’s performance that shines even in the seconds-long snippets we get. A weariness behind the eyes. A history that we have not been told yet, and a motive that has not faded, even though he has lost a lot. Rather than portraying Hal as a younger hotshot pilot, ‘Lanterns’ appears to be leaning into the notion of Hal as a battle-scarred veteran. He is a man who has seen enough to know just how steep the road ahead really is.
And that is what makes his relationship with Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart even more interesting. Stewart is young, willful, and principled. He is a perfect counterbalance to Hal’s instinct-driven bravado. The chemistry is present even with the limited footage. The contrast is striking. And the narrative possibilities are gigantic.
