‘Lanterns’ Official Trailer: In Brightest Day

Today marks Day 2 of San Diego Comic Con 2026 and the event is in full swing with trailers for upcoming projects dropping left and right. Yesterday, following the launch of their “Lanterns Training Headquarters” experience at the convention, DC Studios announced that they’d also throw their hat in the ring with a new trailer for the upcoming HBO series. Today, at the Lanterns panel, the new official trailer was revealed and you can view it below:

What Happens In The Official Trailer For Lanterns?

The trailer, which lasts for three minutes, opens with Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) abruptly waking up his trainee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) by throwing a bucket of water over him to start the day. At a bar, John describes to a woman that he is simply being trained as back-up. We see Hal giving a lesson to John on how to fly, John however fails, constructing a bird with the ring instead. 

Hal Jordan is seen surveying multiple murder scenes stating that he believes the victims may turn out to be aliens. Hal is then ambushed in a diner and protects himself from the gun fire by making a shield out of the ring’s energy. John asks Hal what he knows about Manhunters, which are later described as the most dangerous beings in the galaxy that can shapeshift into any form, setting them up as the main threat facing the heroes. A massive laser shoots from the sky and blows up a car and we get our first look at Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) making his DCU return. 

John says that the ring always belonged to him, but Hal was just “keeping it warm” as we see shots of a giant space prison. Inside the prison, Hal confronts his old mentor, Sinestro (Ulrich Tomsen). Sinestro gets Hal to admit that John isn’t his back up, but his replacement. We get a final action montage with voiceover from Hal reciting the iconic Green Lantern mantra. The final gag at the end of the trailer sees Hal make a bottle opener with a construct to open a couple beers.

What Is Lanterns About?

Lanterns follows Green Lantern, Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and Green Lantern in training, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a murder in an American hometown. They two also face their own conflict as John believes he’s ready to wear the ring despite Hal’s disapproval. Read the official synopsis below:

“The series follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.”

Lanterns is created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. The series stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro, and more. The series premieres on HBO and HBO Max on August 16th, 2026.

Thanks for reading our article on the official trailer for DC Studios’ Lanterns. If you enjoyed it, consider checking out some of our other Lanterns articles and television section.