British directorJames Haweshas made his mark on the TV landscape, with projects ranging fromDoctor WhotoSlow Horses. His next project is something entirely different:Lanterns, the new Max series that will bring two of DC Comics' iconic heroes down to Earth. While discussing his new film,The Amateur,with Collider’sSteve Weintraub, Hawes spoke about his vision for the series, and how he came to direct the project, saying, “I’ve worked with the team at HBO Max three times before. I set upSnowpiercerwithSarah AubreyandJoey Chavez, and I’d worked with them onThe AlienistandRaised by Wolves.” He continued:
“There is a very particular humor that they brought to this. It’s very rooted in a way that I like to think we achieve withSlow Horses, that I achieve with things like myBlack Mirror’s, and yet there is a rich vein of humor running through it. So, again, it was about that tone. I’m such a huge fan of Damon [Lindelof] and Chris [Mundy] and the writing that they’ve done in the past.”
“Listen, it all starts from the script,” the director offered. “When you turn those pages, can you get the smell of it? You always find a scene or two that you think, ‘I can’t wait to be stood beside the camera and the cast, directing this scene on the day.’ If that happens on turning the pages, you know this is something you have to take seriously, and that absolutely happened with Lanterns. To some extent, it’s a swerve.Superheroes are not somewhere I’ve really played before, but it’s created in such a way—and I can’t tell you much—that it bewitched me.” Hawes went on to discuss the series' grounded tone, which is a departure from the star-spanning outer space adventures from theGreen Lanterncomic books.
“It doesn’t lack its sci-fi magic, but it’s done in a world where you accept that these things just are. They don’t need that extra sprinkle of sci-fi fairy dust. It works within a physical world that we’ve come to know.”
He was cautious about sayingtoomuch about the series. “I don’t think I can tease that yet. You’ve talked about the rootedness with James [Gunn]. It’s an extraordinary combination of cast. I’ve been on the set the last four-and-a-bit weeks;the way the cast is landing is electric. I’m thrilled by who we’ve got here. I don’t think DC fans will be in any way disappointed. I know James Gunn has already spoken about how excited he is. So, watch this space.” He also discussed the series' talented cast, especially its leads,Kyle ChandlerandAaron Pierre, who Weintraub asked him to describe.
“I’m going to use slightly strange words, but the first word that came to mind was “authenticity.” The next word is “charm.” These are two people you just want to hang out with. There’s just no doubt. You want to hang with them.You want to go on that journey.Add to that Kelly Macdonald, who I’ve worked with before onBlack Mirror. You get people who are just so classy and so busy inhabiting their roles, so you never doubt it. They’re not on the outside—they’re deep in those skins.”
What Do We Know About ‘Lanterns’?
Lanternscenters around the Green Lantern Corps, a spacefaring team of law enforcement officers equipped with Green Lantern rings, which can translate their imagination and willpower into energy constructs. Two such members, veteran Hal Jordan (Chandler,Friday Night Lights) and newcomer John Stewart (Pierre,Rebel Ridge) find themselves on Earth, investigating a murder in Nebraska. Macdonald (Trainspotting) plays a local sheriff, Kerry;Jason Ritter(Matlock) plays her husband, who’s under the thumb of his father, self-righteous homesteader William Macon (Garret Dillahunt,Deadwood).Poorna Jagannathan(Deli Boys) plays cunning local Zoe, andUlrich Thomsen(Banshee) plays Green Lantern-turned-villain Sinestro. Stewart’s parents will also turn up in the series, played byJ. Alphonse Nicholson(P-Valley) andJasmine Cephas Jones(Blindspotting) in the past andSherman Augustus(Stranger Things) andNicole Ari Parker(And Just Like That…) in the present.
Hawes’s new film,The Amateur, is his second theatrical effort after 2023’sOne Life. It starsRami Malekas a mild-mannered CIA cryptographer who sets out for vengeance when his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. It also starsLaurence Fishburne,Rachel Brosnahan, andJon Bernthal, and will be released in theaters on April 11.
Lanternsis in production now, andno release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
