Green Lantern HBO Max series casts its first lead: American Horror Story's Finn Wittrock

Green Lantern Guy Gardner
(Image credit: FX)

The Green Lantern HBO Max series, produced by Greg Berlanti and Warner Bros., gets its first lead: American Horror Story's Finn Wittrock.

Wittrock will play Guy Gardner, best known to comic book fans as the brash member of the Green Lantern Corps who, infamously, was punched by Batman during a Justice League meeting.

According to a report from THR, Gardner is "a hulking mass of masculinity, and, as rendered in the comics, an embodiment of 1980s hyper-patriotism. And yet, Guy is somehow likable." Think Homelander with his heart in the right place and you're probably on the right track.

More interesting, however, is the first glimpse of the Green Lantern series' story. It's spanning multiple decades, for one thing, and will envelope the lives of iconic Green Lanterns, including the closeted Alan Scott in 1940s America, all the way up to 1984 and Gardner's adventures. Green Lantern is set to start filming this year and the release date is at-yet-unknown.

There are also several other DC-adjacent shows in the works. Not least of which is The Batman spinoff, focusing on Gotham's finest in their street-level fight against crime on the Caped Crusader's home turf. James Gunn has also begun filming a The Suicide Squad spinoff with Peacemaker actor John Cena.

On the big screen, meanwhile, DC is setting itself up for years of major releases. The Flash (starring a returning Michael Keaton), The Batman, Black Adam, and Aquaman 2 are all due to hit by the end of 2022 – and now the Lanterns might not be far behind.

Find out what else is hitting the big screen with our guide to new superhero movies.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.