‘Rebel Ridge’ Breakout Aaron Pierre to Play John Stewart in ‘Lanterns’ Series at HBO

“Rebel Ridge” breakout Aaron Pierre will play John Stewart in the “Lanterns” series at HBO.

Pierre will star opposite Kyle Chandler, who will play Hal Jordan in the DC adaptation. The series follows new recruit 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,” which is produced in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios, has received a straight-t0-series order from the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned network.

Chris Mundy (“True Detective: Night Country,” “Ozark”) will be showrunner and he’s set to co-write the series with fellow executive producers Damon Lindelof (“Watchmen,” “The Leftovers”) and Tom King (“Mister Miracle,” “Supergirl”).

“We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon and Tom at the helm,” DC Studios co-chairmen and co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran said in a joint statement. “John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and ‘Lanterns’ brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with ‘Superman.’”

Stewart was created by legendary duo Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams in 1972. The character has previously been played by Phil LaMarr in various DC Animated Universe productions, by Kevin Michael Richardson in “Young Justice,” by Roger Cross in the animated movie “Justice League Dark” and by Aldis Hodge in animated projects like “Green Lantern: Beware My Power.”

“Lanterns” will be the first live-action incarnation of the character.

Pierre stars as the lead in Jeremy Saulnier’s “Rebel Ridge,” which debuted Sept. 6 on Netflix and was the No. 1 title worldwide on the streamer for three weeks in a row. In December, he will take on the titular role of Mufasa in Barry Jenkins’ animated “Lion King” prequel for Disney.

The actor was most recently seen in NatGeo series “Genius: MLK/X” as civil rights leader Malcolm X, in Garth Davis’ “Foe” alongside Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan, in Clement Virgo’s “Brother” and in Jenkins’ award-winning limited series “The Underground Railroad.” He is currently filming “The Morning Show.”

Pierre is repped by WME, Anonymous Content, Hamilton Hodell, Sloane Offer Weber Dern and Narrative.

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