LANTERNS Writer Tom King Talks About Writing for the Studio During What He Calls a "DC Renaissance"
DC Studios is currently developing its Green Lantern series Lanterns, with Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country) leading the charge as showrunner and executive producer, and Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and comic book scribe Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) writing the series.
Fans are stoked for this new phase of DC, which James Gunn and Peter Safran are ushering in. It’s more organized, with a clear mission that Gunn is known for bringing to his past projects.
King is living his childhood dream of writing the series, based on his comics about the character Green Lantern.
He came to the job in a full circle arc, starting as a kid who loved comics, becoming a CIA Officer, then coming back around to his dream job after starting his family. He detailed his story in an interview with Business Insider, where he talked about his excitement to join this new phase of DC.
King said that he felt "responsibility" to the comic characters that the fans have been reading for over 60 years: "I was friends with Neal Adams, the co-creator of John Stewart, and every time I was in the room, I felt Neal yelling at me: 'Don't forget where you come from kid.'“
And although the series features cosmic characters, it aims to engage with the audience on a real-world level.
He said: "Damon, Chris, and I came with a lot of love for the material and we wanted to do what I've always done in comics, which is take these original creations and show why they're still relevant today, and why they can speak to both the audience and the issues of everything we're dealing with."
He added: "It feels like a DC renaissance. We're at the beginning of creating an entirely brilliant world."
It feels like these DC movies and shows that are on the horizon have the best creative minds at the helm. We have a lot of cool stories and characters to look forward to.
Lanterns follows Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), two members of the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps, as they tackle a dark, Earth-based mystery.