Has HBO Max’s Green Lantern Series Been Killed? James Gunn Says…

On Dec. 26, James Gunn, the new co-CEO of DC Studios, responded to a report that HBO Max's planned Green Lantern series had been scrapped. Find out his succinct rebuttal.

By Daniel Trainor Dec 29, 2022 12:25 AMTags
Watch: OMG TV Shows of 2022: Euphoria, Abbott Elementary & More

According to James Gunn, reports of The Green Lantern's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

In response to a report that HBO Max's planned Green Lantern series had been scrapped, the new co-CEO of DC Studios responded on Twitter Dec. 26, simply writing: "Fake."

A Green Lantern television series was first announced in 2019, which was set to focus on the characters of Guy Gardner and Alan Scott. In fact, actors Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine had already been cast in the respective roles. 

However, in October 2022, it was announced that the series was shifting focus to John Stewart, one of DC's first Black superheroes, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

No casting news has been announced regarding the role of John Stewart, but Wittrock and Irvine are no longer attached to the project.

The decision to mold the show around Stewart was made after the exit of former DC Films President Walter Hamada earlier in October, according to the outlet, but had "nothing to do" with Gunn and Peter Safran being elevated to their new co-CEO roles at DC Studios.

Previously, The Green Lantern was adapted into a 2011 film starring Ryan Reynolds as the titular superhero and Blake Lively as his love interest Carol Ferris.

photos
The OMG TV Moments From 2022 That We Can’t Get Out of Our Heads

Though Gunn and Safran took over their new roles within DC just over two months ago, they have wasted no time in making a major impact.

On Dec. 14, Henry Cavill announced that he would no longer be playing the role of Superman for DC, a decision made by Gunn and Safran.

"Peter & I have a DC slate ready to go, which we couldn't be more over-the-moon about; we'll be able to share some exciting information about our first projects at the beginning of the new year," Gunn wrote on Twitter Dec. 14. "Among those on the slate is Superman."

Gunn continued, "In the initial stages, our story will be focusing on an earlier part of Superman's life, so the character will not be played by Henry Cavill."

John Salangsang/Shutterstock

While we await more details about The Green Lantern, DC Studios is currently in production on limited series The Penguin, with Colin Farrell reprising his role as the titular supervillain from 2022's The Batman starring Robert Pattinson.

Get the drama behind the scenes. Sign up for TV Scoop!