The first trailer for HBO Max’s Lanterns was confusing. It featured a small town setting, a brown colour palette and very little in the way of superpowers. We didn’t see any of that luminous green shit that you normally associate with the Green Lanterns, which was on full display in last year’s Superman. And this is meant to be set in the same Universe?
Visual and tonal consistency aside, I liked the idea of a washed-up hero butting heads with a young upstart while trying to solve a murder in a neo-Western setting. It didn’t feel like a superhero trailer, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
HBO Max has now released a second trailer, where we finally get some green.
Kyle Chandler plays ageing Lantern Hal Jordan. He appears to be training his potential successor, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), although somewhat reluctantly. The fact that there’s only one magic ring between them is bound to be a source of conflict.
Nathan Fillion played another lantern, Guy Gardner, in James Gunn’s Superman. Gardner and his comedy bowl cut is also glimpsed in the latest trailer.
Lanterns will debut on HBO Max in August 2026.
