HBO Jokes About the “Lack of Green” in the First LANTERNS Trailer
The first trailer for Lanterns finally landed online this week, giving fans their first real look at the upcoming DC series. Instead of celebrating the arrival of a Green Lantern show, though, a lot of fans had the same reaction: “Where’s all the green?”
The complaints quickly spread across social media, with viewers pointing out that a show about the Green Lantern Corps didn’t seem all that… green. HBO Max saw the chatter and decided to respond with a little sarcasm.
The official HBO Max X account shared a screenshot from the trailer showing a green food basket and wrote: “What do you mean there's no green?”
It’s a pretty amusing response, though it might not calm fans who were hoping to see glowing ring constructs lighting up the sky.
The trailer actually debuted earlier than planned after HBO Max accidentally leaked the full preview ahead of schedule. Once it hit the internet, reactions were very mixed. I really liked the tone and the vibe of it, though!
DC Studios has made it clear from the start that Lanterns wouldn’t feel like a cosmic spectacle such as Guardians of the Galaxy. The show is designed to play more like a grounded mystery in the style of True Detective. The footage definitely leaned into that vibe.
The preview offered a brief shot of Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan taking flight and included quick glimpses of a Green Lantern power battery, a green lantern suit, and the mention of the squirrel-like Lantern Ch’p. But fans looking for giant energy constructs or big space action didn’t get that.
Instead, the series appears focused on a crime story unfolding on Earth.
Lanterns follows rookie Lantern John Stewart and veteran Hal Jordan as the two intergalactic cops investigate a murder in the American heartland. It is meant to look more like a moody detective drama than a bright, cosmic superhero story.
Still, the absence of those signature green visuals stood out. Even Hal Jordan’s suit in the footage looked surprisingly toned down, which only added fuel to the conversation online.
Of course, this is just the first trailer, and there’s a good chance future previews will show off more of the larger Green Lantern mythology.
Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) is serving as showrunner and executive producer, writing the series alongside Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and comic writer Tom King (Supergirl).
The cast includes Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, and Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro. The lineup also features Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
Pierre previously shared how excited he is about bringing this world to life.
"It was an enormous shoot. It was of a grand scale in every sense of the word," Pierre teased last year. "We’re all very proud of this and very excited. It’s been a long time coming for many fans and supporters.
“And I truly hope with all my heart that we make everybody proud and we make everybody thrilled that we did this, because we’re thrilled and we’re proud."
He also talked about how the show might make viewers imagine themselves joining the Corps.
"When you watch it, it almost makes you go, ‘You know what? If I can just figure out where to get my application, I could be in the Green Lantern Corps," Pierre noted.
"The training would be intense, and the responsibility would be enormous, but I might be able to just apply for this and have a go.’ There’s just a relatability to it that is beautiful. Hopefully that resonates with everybody."
We’ll just have to wait and see if there’s more to this series than what the first teaser trailer gave us. Fans are definitely paying attention, and HBO seems more than happy to poke a little fun at them while they wait.