Lanterns’ Chris Mundy: No Fixed Endpoint Writing John Stewart for Man of Tomorrow

Jordan Ellis10/08/2026Updated 25/08/20264 min read

Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy says the HBO series wasn’t built around a predetermined endpoint for John Stewart, even though Aaron Pierre’s version of the character is already locked in to reprise the role in James Gunn’s 2027 Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. Speaking with Collider ahead of the show’s HBO Max debut, Mundy addressed the crossover directly as one of the biggest open questions hanging over the series’ first season.

The comments give fans a clearer picture of how much creative room Mundy and his co-creators, Damon Lindelof and Tom King, had while mapping out John Stewart’s rookie arc, even with a studio-mandated film cameo already locked into the DC Studios release calendar.

Pierre’s John Stewart Locked In for July 2027’s Man of Tomorrow

Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart, who makes his debut on HBO Max’s Lanterns, will be a part of James Gunn’s next Superman film, with the actor joining a cast that includes David Corenswet as Superman, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Lars Eidinger as Brainiac. The sequel is currently scheduled to open in theaters on July 9, 2027.

According to reporting corroborated across multiple outlets, Pierre’s return was framed as part of Gunn’s vision of having the DC screen universe, both the movies and the television shows, integrate seamlessly as one story universe, with Stewart’s appearance making sense given that both Superman and Brainiac are space-faring characters with alien origins.

Mundy Frames Lanterns as a “Buddy Cop” Story About Replacement

Long before the Man of Tomorrow casting news broke, Mundy had already described the tone he wanted for Lanterns’ central pairing. Speaking to Men’s Health, he said “[Lanterns is] as much of a buddy cop show as a superhero show. In a lot of ways, [it’s] about replacement, when should someone step aside and when is it time for the next person to take the reins?”

Mundy expanded on the dynamic between Kyle Chandler’s veteran Hal Jordan and Pierre’s rookie Stewart, noting that “that push and pull between those two characters is really important. So much of the power that John has is by not taking the bait, understanding that you lose your power if you’re yelling and screaming. That’s what we’re trying to convey. He knows he belongs, so he doesn’t have to overcompensate.”

That framing matters for anyone trying to guess how Stewart’s story lines up with his eventual film appearance: Lanterns is being sold on the tension of two Lanterns figuring out who holds the ring, not on setting up a specific future scene for Gunn’s cameras.

Hal Jordan’s Absence From Man of Tomorrow Casting Fuels Speculation

One detail has stood out to fans parsing the Man of Tomorrow casting news: there has been no announcement of Kyle Chandler reprising Hal Jordan alongside Pierre. Commentary tracking the show’s marketing has noted that Aaron Pierre has been cast in Man of Tomorrow, while there’s been no mention of Kyle Chandler returning as Hal Jordan, a pretty telling omission suggesting death or retirement seems to be in Hal’s future.

That absence dovetails with the show’s own marketing, which has leaned into questions about succession within the Green Lantern Corps. As one outlet summarised, the biggest question looming over Lanterns might be the fate of its own lead, with the show’s marketing built around a motto of “only one can wear the ring”.

Whether that means a permanent handover of the ring, a temporary retirement, or something else entirely remains unconfirmed by DC Studios. Mundy’s insistence that the writers weren’t chasing a specific outcome for the film suggests the show’s ending may not be engineered purely to explain how Stewart gets there.

Lanterns Premieres August 16 on HBO Max

Lanterns is set to debut on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 16, positioning it as one of the network’s biggest genre launches of the year. The series follows Hal Jordan as the veteran Lantern mentoring John, who’s two months into his training and hasn’t worn the ring yet, together investigating a murder in the American Heartland that will have larger ripple effects for the bigger DC universe.

For Australian and New Zealand viewers, Lanterns will stream via HBO Max’s regional partners on the same premiere window as the US rollout, continuing the pattern set by Warner Bros. Discovery’s other DCU titles this year. Given the built-in tie to a 2027 tentpole film, expect the show’s finale to draw heavy scrutiny from fans hunting for clues about exactly how Stewart’s ring-bearing status carries over to the big screen.