DC’s most anticipated series showed its hand at San Diego Comic-Con. HBO Max debuted the Lanterns trailer during the show’s panel, delivering the first official look at Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro (via The Hollywood Reporter and HBO Max).
When does Lanterns premiere?
Sunday, August 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO, streaming on HBO Max. Eight episodes.
What is Lanterns about?
Rookie Green Lantern John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) investigate a murder in the American heartland that turns out to have far larger cosmic connections. It’s a grounded detective story wearing a space-opera coat — closer to True Detective than to a superhero team-up, by design.
The cast
Kyle Chandler (Hal Jordan), Aaron Pierre (John Stewart), Ulrich Thomsen (Sinestro), Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Kelly Macdonald, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
Behind the camera: co-creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King — the last of whom wrote some of the most acclaimed DC comics of the past decade.
Who is Sinestro?
Once Hal Jordan’s friend, mentor, and the greatest Green Lantern in the Corps — before his belief that order justified fear turned him into its most dangerous enemy. He eventually founds the Sinestro Corps, powered by fear rather than willpower.
The trailer presents him comic-faithfully: purple-skinned, and currently the Corps’ prisoner, offering “words of wisdom” to his old friend from custody. Casting him as an imprisoned advisor rather than a rampaging villain is a smart, patient choice — it’s the version of Sinestro who’s most unsettling, because he’s usually making sense.
What are the Manhunters?
The reveal comic readers will fixate on.
The Manhunters are androids created by the Guardians of the Universe as the galaxy’s first peacekeeping force — before the Green Lantern Corps existed. They failed catastrophically, turning on the beings they were built to protect, and the Corps was created as their replacement. Their catchphrase, “No man escapes the Manhunters,” is one of the most quietly menacing lines in DC comics.
Putting them in a live-action debut is a genuinely deep pull. It also means the show’s threat isn’t a rival alien empire — it’s the Corps’ own predecessor, and its original sin.
Do I need to know Green Lantern comics?
No. The premise is a murder investigation, and the trailer’s framing suggests the mythology arrives through the case rather than as homework. Knowing who the Manhunters are will make certain moments land harder — which is why we just told you.
Lanterns premieres Sunday, August 16 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and HBO Max.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter · HBO Max · Collider
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