Lanterns director teases 'unexpected' DC series with Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre

Lanterns director James Hawes has lifted the lid on what fans can expect from the hotly anticipated DC series — and he’s promising surprises.

The show, which reimagines the Green Lantern universe for the screen, is being developed by a powerhouse team including Ozark's Chris Mundy, Watchmen's Damon Lindelof, and acclaimed comic book writer Tom King.

Hawes, best known for directing Apple TV+'s Slow Horses and the Anthony Hopkins-led WWII drama One Life, is on board to direct the first two episodes and serve as executive producer.

Speaking to The Standard fresh off a flight from Los Angeles — where he’d just wrapped Lanterns at 2am — Hawes teased: “Well it's Chris Mundy's pen that you've really got to be impressed by, the man who brought you Ozarks and True Detective.

“It's very rooted in a way that I like to think we achieved with Slow Horses.

“Amazing chemistry between Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler, and Kelly Macdonald in the mix, and then with a sprinkle of DC magic that bursts through every now and then. So it's unexpected,” he added.

The eight-part HBO series, produced in partnership with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, introduces fans to John Stewart and Hal Jordan — two “intergalactic cops” drawn into a chilling, Earth-bound murder mystery set in the heart of America.

Aaron Pierre landed the role of Stewart following an extensive casting process, while Kyle Chandler portrays Jordan.

The project has had a bumpy journey to the screen.

Originally in development in 2020 with The Flash's Greg Berlanti and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith, an earlier version of the series stalled after casting Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine as Guy Gardner and Alan Scott.

After years of silence, Lanterns is now the first live-action show under James Gunn’s revamped DC Universe.

Beyond Lanterns, Hawes is also promoting The Amateur, a high-stakes spy thriller starring and executive produced by Oscar winner Rami Malek.

The director lit up when talking about the project at its European premiere in London.

“It's amazing. I mean, look at this ensemble,” he said. “To start with somebody like Rami [Malek], at the heart of it, with all the commitment and intelligence he brings, then to be able to build an ensemble around is pretty special.”

The film, which also stars Laurence Fishburne and Caitriona Balfe, was a joy to make, Hawes shared: “I really pride myself on a happy set where I can do it.

“I reckon we work in entertainment. We need to have some joy. We still have to be focused and precise and get the work done. But we were a traveling company.”

The Amateur lands in UK and Ireland cinemas on April 11