DC Studios ‘Lanterns’ Teaser Trailer: A Grounded Mystery

Lanterns was first announced during the “DCU Chapter 1 – Gods & Monsters” video which premiered on January 31st, 2023 which saw James Gunn map out the future of this new DC universe. Casting began much later with Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre playing our titular heroes Hal Jordan and John Stewart respectively. The series inspired by the likes of True Detective will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder that occurs in a small town on Earth.

On February 16th, 2026 fans noticed a dedicated page for the upcoming series was added to the Official DC Shop with the description:

“Shop the official Lanterns merch collection on the DC Shop. Explore the darker side of the American heartland with Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Feel like you have a Lantern Ring of your own and shop Lanterns apparel and merch. Coming soon!”

With the store page going live, fans were certain that marketing for the series would begin ramping up.

A little over two weeks later and the official DC Social Pages announced that fans could expect a teaser trailer for the upcoming Lanterns series tomorrow, March 4th. The promo saw glimpses of John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) followed by a close up of a Green Lantern Ring.

Fast forward to a few hours and one leak later and the official HBO Max and DC pages said “You manifested it early. The official #Lanterns teaser is here. Coming this August.” You can view the teaser below:

What Happens In The Lanterns Teaser Trailer?

The Lanterns teaser trailer, which lasts for 2 Minutes and 21 seconds, opens on a road with a car is seen in the distance as John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) says to Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), “With all due respect, we’ve been training for, what, two months, and I haven’t even worn the ring yet.” We briefly cut to a scene where the Green Lantern Ring is placed on a table, the caption “A New Series From DC Studios” appears on the screen before we cut to Hal responding, “Don’t get hung up on the jewelry junior. You’re just a fuckin’ substitute teacher. You’re not ready to get up in front of the class until the ring says you are.” Hal places the ring on the dashboard of the car before bailing out, the car drives off a cliff with John still in it, and the screen fades to black.

In the next scene, at a rest stop Hal is clapping for John as he approaches. John says “I could have died” to which Hal responds, “You wanted me to train you, I’m trainin’ you.” We cut to a wide shot of a town, in the car Hal says, “Something is off here. I can feel it.” The town is gathered in a community centre, the mayor is talking to everyone and we see Kelly Macdonald’s character who says “This is my town and you’re a big shot. Noted.” In a diner, Hal is confronted by a group of thugs, in another scene Macdonald’s character continues, “but stay the fuck out of my way”, we open to reveal a football field where a murder has seemingly taken place. John says, “I think she hates your guts” to which Hal responds, “it’s the way she hates ‘em.”

We see a number of bullet shells laying on a gravel floor, Hal is in a ranch-like area and offscreen John says, “this is a stupid plan” as we see an explosion site featuring a damaged car, a gate with the letter “M” on it and a sign that reads “Study The Past.” In a bar Hal says, “It gets stupider” and John continues, “That I don’t doubt.” In a closet we see what is likely Hal’s Green Lantern suit, John narrates, “ The Green Lantern’s oath is to protect people…” we see John in the football field followed by an exploded Motel sign. John continues, “and we both know I do a better job at this than you.” Hal and John are seen walking in a tunnel, we then see a blood patch on the football field.

Hal says, “This is my job… and as long as I’m alive, that ain’t changin’.” Two people are seen riding a horse followed by someone with a bag over their head being dragged into a warehouse. John is seen confronting similar thugs to the ones in the diner and Hal continues, “So, take a deep breath, junior.” Someone is seen in a car chase followed by Hal and John entering a lab of sorts. John retaliates and says,”You’re old. You’re tired. And your time is up.” During that dialogue we see a montage of action scenes including someone halo jumping out of a plane, Hal flying off from the rest stop and John in scrubs holding a Green Lantern Power Battery. John, holding a pistol breaks into a building, we see Kelly Macdonald’s character once more followed by Poorna Jagannathan’s character.

John is then seen running on a highway, Hal is falling from the roof of a building and someone uses an alien weapon on John which seemingly messes with his mind. In an interrogation room, Chris Coy’s character asks, “I don’t understand. Who exactly are you?” Hal responds, “Hal Jordan, Green Lantern” and proceeds to beat up Coy’s character, throwing him across the room and getting ready to blast him with his Power Ring. The Lanterns logo appears with the release window of August 2026. The final scene of the trailer is set at night, John asks, “Have you ever talked with the other Lanterns?” Hal responds, “I’m the only human. They’re aliens. One of ‘em is a fuckin’ squirrel” to which John looks away and smiles. The squirrel in question is Ch’p created Paul Kupperberg and Don Newton who first appears in Green Lantern #148 (January 1982).

Read the official synopsis below:

“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.”

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 in August 2026.

Thanks for reading our article on the Lanterns Teaser Trailer. If you enjoyed it, consider checking out some of our other Lanterns articles and the television Section.