DC is starting to rev up the advertising for their newest projects coming to both the big screen and the small screen with the first Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow trailer and also the first teaser for the new Lanterns show coming to HBO Max. While the Supergirl trailer was a full-fledged theatrical trailer, the Lanterns teaser was just that: an 11 second stinger that you probably wouldn’t have even known was for a Green Lantern show if they wouldn’t have (very) briefly shown the green power ring.

The teaser was a condensed version of a full trailer for the show that was shown at the HBO Upfronts, and while the full trailer has not been released to the public yet an alleged description of what we can expect to see has surfaced on Twitter. For now, take this report as a rumor although I am inclined to believe it is accurate. According to the Twitter account @EverythingDCU_, we can expect to see the following in the new trailer:

• Footage described as “unreal.” (As in very good)
• Tone is similar to HBO’s WATCHMEN
• “Hal’s suit is amazing and fully practical.”
• Cinematography compared to Mare of Easton and True Detective Season 2
• Hal’s costume’s color scheme is classic (green, black and white with hints of gold in it like Hal’s power ring)
• Described as medieval and otherworldly, like nothing we have ever seen before in a comic book. Like an alternate Injustice suit. He nonchalantly hangs it in his closet next to his jackets.
• Highway Patrolman by Bruce Springsteen is used in the trailer.
• Constructs are hinted at but not fully seen.
• Kyle Chandler is the stand out.
• It is hinted that if Hal doesn’t hand down the baton, John cannot become a Green Lantern.
• Shots of a cemetery was seen (Black Hand hinted?)

Now, let’s go ahead and analyze some of these potential details. To begin, the fact that the suit is practical and not CGI (a la Ryan Reynolds in the 2011 Green Lantern movie) says a lot what they’re going for with the cinematography. One of the largest complaints from the 2011 film was the fully CGI suit, all the way to the CGI eye mask that very easily could have been a practical mask. If this report is correct, then this show combats that complaint head on by making the suit fully practical. This isn’t to say it won’t be CGI generated when there are fight scenes, flying scenes, or other scenes that would require some sort of CGI enhancements but when the character is just standing around in the living room they won’t look like a PS5 character.

The only part about the suit that has me (and plenty of other Twitter users) scratching their head is the fact that Hal Jordon is seen “hanging his suit in the closet”. This seems a bit off as the Green Lantern suit is typically derived from the ring itself, and while they might be doing some corrective fan service by making the suit practical I do hope the show isn’t too grounded, because this is Green Lantern after all. I am not going to discount the whole show over this detail, but it might (or might not, who really knows yet) say a lot about the extent of how the Green Lantern ring will work in this universe. However, if this truly is the same universe as James Gunn’s Superman, we’ve already seen a Green Lantern with Guy Gardner and his suit and powers were a well done mix of practical and CGI, so if they follow that same idea (even with a more grounded tone), it should work just fine. Guy Gardner’s suit was practical, but his Green Lantern constructs were perfectly done CGI and led to a smart mix that didn’t really offend in either direction.

The fact the “constructs are hinted at but not fully seen” can go either way. The show having a similar tone to WATCHMEN alludes to less of a Superman/Guy Gardner Green Lantern feel and more of an Arrow season 1 or 2 feel with a grounded tone but the potential to include more and more fantastical CGI as the series goes on, just on a much larger and prettier scale than any CW show could do. The constructs have to be there eventually as it is a Green Lantern show, but the fact the trailer does not emphasize the CGI implies the show will be more character and story driven then a full-on CGI spectacle. In my opinion, shows need to be more character and story driven as they have to carry themselves multiple seasons so this bodes well for the longevity of the series.

Kyle Chandler being the stand out makes perfect sense as Hal Jordan is the main man when you think about the Green Lantern mantle. It seems like he will be the Chris Evans/Captain America equivalent of the character to John Stewart’s Sam Wilson-esque mentor/mentee role, which leads into the next bullet point of Hal struggling to pass the baton down to Stewart (played by Aaron Pierre). Just like many comic book characters, the suit is just the mantle that the alter-ego eventually passes that down to someone else. The fact that they are already alluding to that idea right out of the gate sets the stage for the main characters relationship and sets up Pierre to be the lead after presumably a couple seasons, depending on how they want to handle the passing of the baton. There are fans for both Hal Jordan and John Stewart, and handling the relationship between the two leads this way does not diminish either of the characters roles in the series, ultimately pleasing fans of both camps.

The last point I want to talk about is the Black Hand idea, which if the bullet points are correct definitely seems feasible. You can’t do Green Lantern without Sinestro, but to have such a massive cosmic based villain right off the bat would contradict the tone being set for the show. The Black Hand can easily be done with a more grounded tone, and if they use a more grounded villain in the first season it gives them time to set up the more cosmic based stories for the future as the DCU continues to evolve. The Black character works as a graveyard and can raise the dead, so the shot as the graveyard being a nod to the character does make perfect sense. It will be interesting to see who they use as the villain for the first season and if it is more Earth based, how they handle the transition to the inevitable inclusion of Sinestro and the cosmic Lantern corps.

The rest of the details just add to what we can expect in terms of tone for the show. As of right now, it seems like the show will start grounded and eventual work its way into a more galactic themed adventure. I don’t think the show will ever go full cosmic like the 2011 film, or even what we see in the Supergirl trailer, but who knows what we will get by seasons 3 and 4 if the show proves to be a success. Nobody thought Arrow would evolve into what The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow eventually gave us on the CW, and since it is a Green Lantern show the potential for full cosmic is there. It will be interesting to see what the first season gives us and how it evolves throughout the shows run (assuming this trailer description is legit in the first place).

Are you excited for Lanterns? Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments! Lanterns will premier on HBO Max in 2026.