While the rebooted DC Universe is still searching for its Hal Jordan and John Stewart for the upcoming Lanterns series, one fan has offered two of the best options yet. Josh Brolin has officially passed on the role of Hal Jordan in the upcoming True Detective-inspired series, meaning fans are eagerly debating who should play Jordan and Stewart in the series once again. Glen Powell, James Marsden, and Justin Hartley, and John David Washington, John Boyega, and Daniel Kaluuya have all been suggested as popular choices for the respective characters. However, one fan has shared a bit of fan-casting that perfectly encapsulates why the star of Netflix’s incredibly popular new action flick Rebel Ridge, and one of the stars of The Boys should be given the roles.

An image posted by @multiversede on Instagram shows Jensen Ackles and Aaron Pierre as Hal Jordan and John Stewart, respectively. Ackles has long been a fan-favorite to play Hal Jordan since his days working on Supernatural, but his more recent appearance on the superhero series The Boys has heightened that popularity tenfold. Aaron Pierre is a newer addition to the fan-casting discussion. Pierre skyrocketed to the top of the proverbial leader board following his recent starring role in the hit Netflix action thriller Rebel Ridge, which balances a slowly unraveling mystery with the sort of kick-ass action that would be perfect for Lanterns.

This is far from the first DC Comics character Jensen Ackles has been fan-cast as. For years, the actor has been among the top contenders (among fans, at least) to be the next Batman. Ackles’ Bruce Wayne fan-casting was heightened by his Supernatural character uttering the famous line “I’m Batman” in the show’s third season.

What’s Going on With DC Studios’ Lanterns Series

The casting situation for Lanterns is currently unknown. Josh Brolin divided the internet after being officially offered the role. However, as the actor has turned the part down, fans are once again offering their wild (and often unrealistic) picks as to who could play the show’s titular Lanterns. Around the time of Brolin’s potential casting, it was also rumored that DC Studios had been eyeing Matthew McConaughey and Ewan McGregor as potential second candidates.Neither actor has confirmed if the rumors are true.

The rumored casting for Lanterns does suggest one key detail: DC Studios is looking for an older version of Hal Jordan, who was previously played by Ryan Reynolds in 2011. However, Reynolds’ version of the character was far removed from the one found in the pages of DC Comics. With HBO’s Lanterns series reported to be heavily inspired by True Detective (it is unclear if that refers to the genre, tone, or both), fans are speculating that Hal Jordan will be the grizzled veteran of the Lantern Corps, while John Stewart could act as the rookie learning the ropes.

Lanterns
is scheduled to release as an HBO Original sometime in 2025.