Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner Is Dropping F-Bombs and Smug Swagger in HBO’s LANTERNS
Nathan Fillion is going to get the opportunity to really let it rip as Green Lantern/Guy Gardener in the Lanterns series, and by “it,” I mean a whole lot of F-bombs.
The Firefly and Castle star is bringing his version of Guy Gardner to James Gunn’s Superman, but it’s the upcoming Lanterns series on HBO where Fillion really gets to let loose.
Unlike the PG-13 Superman, Lanterns is going full TV-MA, and so is Fillion’s trash-talking, bowl-cut-sporting Gardner.
“I’ve dropped more f-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together,” Fillion told Entertainment Weekly. And coming from someone who’s worked with Gunn on the profanity-filled Peacemaker, that’s saying something.
Fillion fpops up as Gardner in Peacemaker Season 2, before stepping into the spotlight in Lanterns, which Gunn has described as a gritty HBO drama in the vein of True Detective.
It’s a grounded mystery wrapped in cosmic chaos and Fillion is clearly having a blast playing the smug Lantern with a chip on his shoulder and a giant emerald middle finger at the ready.
“Guy Gardner is no longer comfortable. He is no longer feeling smug,” Fillion teased about his first interactions with Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart. “Then you can see where John’s strength really lies. That is a strong individual.”
Fillion had plenty of praise for Pierre, saying, “Aaron, he’s got a voice like butter. And he’s statuesque, like he’s carved out of marble. He’s very, very specific about his character and what his character’s going through. His character’s clearly going through something. And then along comes this gregarious, smug son of a bitch in Guy Gardner.”
That contrast seems to be at the core of the series, with Fillion’s loudmouth bouncing off Pierre’s composed, battle-worn Stewart. And though he doesn’t have many scenes with Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan, Fillion still got to meet the Lantern veteran.
“Meeting Kyle, he’s everything you’d hope he would be. Very fun, very nice man, very lighthearted, and fun to be around.”
Fillion has history with the Green Lantern legacy, having voiced Hal Jordan across several DC animated movies since Green Lantern: Emerald Knights in 2011. But this time, it’s different.
“There’s been a bunch of people now who have played Hal Jordan, but I’m the first live-action Guy Gardner. If there’s to be another, I’ll still be the first. So I think I’m in a great spot.”
The series, helmed by showrunner Chris Mundy (Ozark) and executive producers/writers Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow) and Damon Lindelof (Watchmen), centers on Lanterns John Stewart and Hal Jordan as they’re drawn into a murder mystery in the American heartland.
“Our driving force has been to deliver a layered drama — rooted in nuanced storytelling and rich world building — that balances tension and mystery with honest, authentic emotion,” said Mundy.
Also starring Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, and Ulrich Thomsen, Lanterns is slated to premiere on HBO in 2026.
Until then, Superman flies into theaters this Friday, and it’ll be our first proper taste of Fillion’s Guy Gardner flipping off the DC Universe.