Tom King Turns Green Lantern into "True Detective" with HBO's "Lanterns"
Following "WandaVision" and "Supergirl," comic book writer Tom King brings the Green Lantern mythology down to earth in HBO's new DC series "Lanterns," turning it into a grounded cop drama.
Everything comic book writer Tom King touches turns to gold: 'WandaVision' for Marvel in 2021, 'Supergirl' for DC in 2026. Now he's one of the key figures shaping the new DC universe with HBO's 'Lanterns.'
The Green Lantern character has always been a tough test for Hollywood — Ryan Reynolds' 2011 'Green Lantern' remains a legendary flop. In an interview with Variety, King says they took a completely different approach this time: "We reimagined 'Lanterns' as grounded, realistic detectives, like Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson's characters in 'True Detective.'
It's not an action show or a space opera; instead, we'll watch two Green Lanterns conduct a murder investigation on Earth in a police-noir format. King says he's long been interested in DC's CIA-focused stories (particularly in the comics 'Sheriff of Babylon' and 'The Human Target'), and that he designed 'Lanterns' as the television extension of that same vein. The show is slated to premiere on HBO Max in late 2026.