Laura Linney's Surprising LANTERNS Role Confirmed as Tom King Teases a "Really Big Reveal"
Following yesterday’s Lanterns panel at San Diego Comic-Con, we've got a couple of intriguing new details about HBO's upcoming DCU series.
The biggest piece of news is that Laura Linney's mystery role has finally been confirmed. On top of that, series co-creator Tom King hinted that the show still has at least one major surprise waiting for audiences, teasing "one really big reveal" that hasn't been spoiled yet.
The panel gave fans a brand-new trailer, and this latest look at Lanterns seemed to land much better than the previous teasers. It packed in plenty of Green Lantern action, including impressive constructs, the iconic Green Lantern oath, and our first look at several key characters.
Among them were Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro and Paul Ben-Victor as the mysterious Antaan, who many fans believe could ultimately be revealed as Atrocitus.
As for Linney, fans had been theorizing for quite some time that she might be playing Star Sapphire. That isn't the case. We've now learned she'll portray one of the Guardians of the Universe, the ancient blue-skinned beings who founded the Green Lantern Corps and oversee its operations from Oa, the Corps' homeworld at the center of the universe.
It's a role that could carry a lot of weight, especially considering how important the Guardians are to Green Lantern mythology and the larger cosmic side of DC.
The appearance of Antaan has also fueled plenty of speculation. In the comics, Atrocitus made his debut in Green Lantern Vol. 4 #25 in 2008.
After the rogue Manhunters massacred his wife and children while wiping out Space Sector 666, he renamed himself Atrocitus and joined four other survivors to form the Five Inversions, a terrorist cabal dedicated to destroying the Guardians of the Universe and everyone who served them.
If Antaan is indeed Atrocitus, that history could create an interesting connection now that the Guardians are confirmed to be part of the story.
Following the panel, Variety also shared interviews with the cast and creative team. During one interview, King was asked if viewers would meet any additional Green Lanterns beyond Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner. Rather than giving anything away, he simply teased that fans should expect at least "one really big reveal."
That's more than enough to get Green Lantern fans theorizing. The mythology is packed with legendary Lanterns and cosmic characters, so there's no shortage of possibilities for who could show up.
The series follows new Green Lantern John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, and Lantern veteran Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, as the two intergalactic lawmen investigate a murder in the American heartland. What begins as an Earth-based mystery eventually ties into something much larger within the DC Universe.
When the project was first announced, James Gunn described the direction of the series, saying: "This is a story of a couple of Green Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan.
"We have a few other Lanterns peppered in there but this is really a terrestrial based TV show which is almost like True Detective with a couple of Green Lanterns who are space cops watching over Precinct Earth in it they discover a terrifying mystery that ties into our largest story of the DCU."
The latest trailer certainly leans into both sides of that concept, mixing grounded detective work with the larger cosmic mythology that fans have been eager to see. Between the confirmation of Linney's role, the possibility that Atrocitus is waiting in the wings, and King's promise of at least one major surprise, Lanterns is giving fans plenty to speculate about before its premiere.
Lanterns is set to debut on August 17 and will stream on HBO Max.