The new Lantern trailer reveals the show that will make up for Supergirl’s failure
Pa Chris Snellgrove
| Published
One of the biggest mistakes in the history of Warner Bros Green Lantern. The film was bound to be a surefire hit, with the title character being one of DC’s most popular characters and played by a reliable lead actor (and up-and-coming Deadpool actor) Ryan Reynolds. In addition, the film is filled with a whole galaxy of colorful characters. However, a combination of poor writing and shoddy CGI turned this blockbuster into something worse than a flop: embarrassment. Since then, the studio has been hesitant to bring the character back. However, everything changes with this Lightspremiere of the DCU show on HBO Max August 16.
The show uses a quirky approach that makes Hal Jordan (the most popular Green Lantern) has an older character in charge of training Jon Stewart, the new kid on the block. Together, they must solve a murder on Earth that Jordan believes is connected to a larger extraterrestrial mystery. These space cops will have to be nice to the local law enforcement agencies, one of whom is highly resentful of these big heroes interfering in her jurisdiction. Is this all a show worth watching? You can decide for yourself by watching the first full-length trailer below Lights.
The lights always ring twice
this Lights the trailer quickly establishes the dynamic between our two main characters. Hal Jordan (as Kyle Chandler) trains new Lantern Jon Stewart (as Aaron Pierre). The new guy seems ready and willing to become a full-fledged space cop; meanwhile, Jordan has mixed feelings about coaching his own replacement. In the trailer, we see some fun teacher/protégé moments, some cool action moments, and even a brief conversation between Jordan and Sinestro, his greatest enemy. Towards the end, we get a cool action montage that combines with the familiar Green Lantern oath, followed by a sweet moment between Jordan and his sheriff crush.
For the most part, the trailer does Lights look really exciting. I was on the fence about making Jordan an older character because I was hoping he (my personal favorite) would join the Justice League. However, the performances of the two leads really put my concerns to rest. Chandler is great as the grizzled space cop and now I’m excited to see him in the role Logana story in the style of a cowboy going on his last ride. It helps that Pierre is so convincing as Stewart: he has a stern coolness that belies a fiery passion, and I’m excited to see him develop into the next big DCU character.
Another dynamic duo
Of course, this is a low bar, but Lights looks like it will be much better than Supergirl. While it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison (movie vs. TV show and all), Lanterns already seems like it’s going to strike a better balance between more grounded elements (like character relationships and an ongoing investigation) and cosmic elements (like visiting Sinestro’s prison cell in deep space and creating a mysterious an alien enemy). The trailer also distances itself from most of the fancy Superman, Supergirland even Peacemakerpresenting a show with the feel of your favorite cool action movies from the 90s.
Sure, it’s a great trailer, but will this TV show blow us away or suffocate us like the vacuum of space? Only time will tell, but we don’t have to wait that long. Lights premieres on HBO Max on August 16. Given the high quality Peacemakerr Season 2, it’s fair to say that fans have high expectations for the second DCU television show. Fingers crossed that those hopes come true and this Green Lantern finally becomes the popular main character he deserves to be. Otherwise, the show might end like this Supergirl: an evil that is only us desire would hide from our eyes!
