"Looks and feels rooted": James Hawes' recent comments compare Lanterns to another HBO hit series

James Hawes, one of the directors of HBO's first two Lanterns episodes, recently made comments that compared the upcoming series to True Detective. The second live-action adaptation of DC's cosmic space police follows two Green Lantern Corps members investigating a murder in an American town, so the comparison to True Detective feels apt.

Hawes sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter's Brian Davids to promote the former's directorial The Amateur. In that interview, the director spoke about working with actress Rachel Brosnahan in The Amateur.

Davids asked whether James Hawes was chosen as one of Lanterns' directors while directing The Amateur. To this, he responded:

"No, I didn’t actually. It’s extraordinary the way life takes you, and it’s probably a coincidence that [showrunner] Chris Mundy then came to me with Lanterns."

Later, Brian Davids asked the director whether it was apt to tonally compare the upcoming Green Lantern series to the tone of another iconic HBO hit, True Detective. James Hawes replied positively while simultaneously pointing out some differences. Here is what he said:

"Talking tone, it looks and feels rooted. You meet two guys, but there is wit and comedy to it that you would not expect in True Detective. It is, in many ways, a buddy cop structure with travel in the story time, to and fro, that is really sophisticated. Chris Mundy has done the most amazing job with the team there, and so I think [the True Detective comparison] is valid. People will still go, “What were you talking about?” to some extent, but I would also bring in No Country for Old Men, Fargo and things that have that Americana heart to them. There’s a wry humor, and so there definitely is more wit and humor than there is in True Detective."

Apart from the tone, the Lanterns director also touched on interesting topics like his thoughts on the current DC leadership, James Gunn and Peter Safran, and the casting of Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, the newest Green Lantern recruit.

Here's what Lanterns' James Hawes said about Aaron Pierre's casting as John Stewart and DC Studios' leadership:

James also went on to talk about other related aspects of Lanterns, like Aaron Pierre's casting as fan-favorite Green Lantern Corps member John Stewart. When the interviewer asked James Hawes whether Pierre's performance in the 2024 Netflix hit Rebel Ridge influenced the makers' decision to cast him as Stewart. Hawes instead said that their decision was based on Pierre's audition. He said:

"I honestly think he did it totally individually in the room. With some chemistry castings and the like, it just felt like he would inhabit the role. He has such a magnificent presence. He feels so forceful, so cool, so understated. Again, I wanted this world to be rooted, and while there’s only so far you can go with rooting characters in a show about Green Lantern, they are. This is a world where we accept that the Green Lanterns exist and aliens exist. So the rest of it is played straight and in the world as we know it."

Right after the above question, the Lanterns director was asked his impression of the leadership at DC Studios. Here's what he said:

"Well, I can only tell you from my experience, which is that it has been inspiring and supportive and truly thrilling. I will know more in a few months’ time, but right now, [Lanterns] just felt like a real burst of creative energy."

What is Lanterns about?

Consisting of eight episodes, Lanterns will be following Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they try to solve a mysterious murder in a small American town. Other than that, we don't know much about the upcoming series. The series, which is currently filming, also has a logline reading:

"The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland."

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While there is only one official image featuring Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart has been officially revealed, we may see more in the coming months as the HBO series wraps up production. Lanterns will begin airing in early 2026.

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