DC's Lanterns director clears up those True Detective comparisons

While we wait for David Corenswet to take off like a speeding bullet in Superman this year, there's another project on DC's pile that is beginning to brighten up a little. Lanterns will follow space-based law enforcers, the Green Lantern Corp, and two of its most legendary members, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). The new series will focus on their initial encounter with one another, with Jordan having been a ring slinger for a few years already and Stewart as his new hot-shot recruit.

When it was initially announced, Lanterns was being pitched as DC's answer to True Detective, with two mismatched heroes bringing down the intergalactic law on a case that sends them back to Earth. "Talking tone, it looks and feels rooted. You meet two guys, but there is wit and comedy to it that you would not expect in True Detective," director James Hawes explained to The Hollywood Reporter about his next big gig working alongside showrunner Chris Mundy.

"It is, in many ways, a buddy cop structure with travel in the story time, to and fro, that is really sophisticated. Chris Mundy has done the most amazing job with the team there, and so I think [the True Detective comparison] is valid.

For now, we might not be light years away from seeing the show, and big developments are still happening. The latest announcement was that Nathan Fillion would be reprising his role from Superman as Guy Gardener, a stubborn but equally beloved member of the GLC who will be appearing in the show at some point. But with that bowl cut blessing a scene with its two leads, will the Lanterns we end up with be anything like what was pitched originally?

"People will still go, 'What were you talking about?' to some extent, but I would also bring in No Country for Old Men, Fargo, and things that have that Americana heart to them," Hawes said, making more comparisons to the show. "There’s a wry humor, and so there definitely is more wit and humor than there is in True Detective." Before the Green Lanterns light shines on our screens, for now, check out every other upcoming DC project on the way here.