HBO's Lanterns Officially Releases First 5 Minutes Online & Reveals John Stewart's Green Lantern Origin Story

It is a bright day for those waiting for Lanterns.

Lanterns will serve as the first live-action Green Lantern-focused project from DC since Ryan Reynolds’ 2011 solo movie, setting the stage for Hal Jordan and John Stewart in James Gunn’s DC Universe. With Kyle Chandler cast as Hal, the character is said to be a legend of the Green Lantern Corps. Now a veteran, Hal is reluctantly training his replacement, Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart. While the characters might not be close in age in the DCU, they share a major connection, as can be seen from this extended clip that was just released.

On X, HBO Max has released the first five minutes of Lanterns.

The footage features John Stewart as a child as he avidly watches a de-aged Chandler as Hal on a news program back when the Green Lantern was in his prime. The new look at Lanterns reveals that Hal made himself known as Green Lantern in 1986 as he stopped a meteor from destroying Victoria Falls. When John’s father arrives at home, he is not happy about John watching Hal on TV, and proceeds to shoot an apple off his head, asking, “Are you afraid?“

Hal Jordan looking to the side in Lanterns

The release of the first five minutes of Lanterns comes right before the new live-action DC TV show debuts its first episode. Lanterns will be released on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday, August 16, at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT. There will be eight episodes in Lanterns season 1, with only the first dropping on Sunday, and the rest will be released weekly as is the rule for HBO shows. The timing of this surprise Lanterns 5-minute clip’s release is perfect to drum up even more interest for the upcoming DC series, spotlighting its characters’ connection.

The core dynamic of Lanterns is the veteran Hal Jordan training the rising star John Stewart. As evidenced by the first five minutes of Lanterns, John will have seemingly grown up looking at Hal as an inspiration. The same way that the first Green Lantern from Earth revealed during the interview that he was only asked one question before being chosen as Green Lantern, “Are you afraid?,” John is forced to go to his backyard when his father gets home, with the latter repeating the same question spoken by Hal before shooting an apple off his son’s head.

From the way John does not flinch, it seems like this might not be the first time his dad has done this. The footage ends with Pierre’s John Stewart entering the car of Chandler’s Hal Jordan. Despite being so marveled by watching Hal as Green Lantern on TV as a kid, John does not seem to have the same excitement about being in the actual presence of the hero he looked up to in the final moments of the footage.

As such, it stands to be seen just how close or distant John and Hal will be in Lanterns, and what role the former’s upbringing plays in that. Given that John’s brothers were urging him to turn the TV off before his father got home and saw John watching the Green Lantern, the tension in the heroes’ dynamic in Lanterns might come from trauma.