Undoubtedly a fan favorite, a new name has emerged for the role of Hal Jordan in the upcoming Green Lantern HBO series titled Lanterns. The superhero show has been heating up in recent weeks after it was reported that Josh Brolin was offered the same Green Lantern role in the sci-fi crime mystery that will be part of James Gunn’s new DCU. Since Brolin passed on the project, names swirled, including Matthew McConaughey and Ewan McGregor, but the search for the iconic DC hero has landed Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler.

Deadline reports that Kyle Chandler has entered negotiations to play Hal Jordan in Lanterns. Chandler is best known for playing the role of Coach Taylor on the hit series Friday Night Lights, which ran for five seasons. One of the great character actors working today, Chandler has appeared in a number of memorable films, including First Man, Super 8, Argo, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Zero Dark Thirty. Recently, he appeared in 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, reprising his role from Godzilla: King of the Monsters. While Chandler has not been officially cast, the news marks the most significant development on HBO’s Lanterns thus far.

Who Will Be Wielding Green Lantern’s Light

James Gunn’s DCU seems very invested in the Green Lantern mythology. Nathan Fillion will play Guy Gardner, another Green Lantern, in 2025’s Superman. Meanwhile, Lanterns will resemble a buddy cop drama series like True Detective, with Hal Jordan as John Stewart’s older mentor. John Stewart is regarded as the more popular Green Lantern, as most general audiences are familiar with it since the character appeared in the popular animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Deadline reports that the search for John Stewart is still ongoing.

If Kyle Chandler does end up cast as Hal Jordan for the DCU, it is certainly a strong addition to the ever-growing universe. With names like David Corenswet as Superman, Milly Alcock as Supergirl, Indira Varma as The Bride in Creature Commandos, or Isabella Merced as Hawkgirl, the DCU is less focused on going after star power and more focused on finding the best actors for the part. With particular emphasis on finding character actors like Chandler and giving them the spotlight, or finding relatively newer and unknown actors like Corenswet and giving them a breakout role. James Gunn’s DCU is starting to take shape, and he is already assembling an exciting group of actors and characters to fill out this universe.