HBO Max released the second trailer for ‘Lanterns’, DC Comics’ latest series featuring the superhero Green Lantern.
The show, scheduled for release on August 17, promises a new live-action interpretation of the popular Justice League hero, starring Kyle Chandler (‘Friday Night Lights’) and Aaron Pierre (‘Rebel Ridge’).
Although the second trailer generated positive anticipation for the project, the previous one left ‘Lanterns’ with no other choice considering the backlash it received.
Two Green Lanterns light up the screen
The series features Green Lantern, an intergalactic space hero who is a member of the Green Lantern Corps organisation.
However, the story does not focus only on one individual under the mantle – a central plot is a ‘passing-of-the-torch’ between two iconic iterations of the DC Comics character, with Chandler as Hal Jordan and Pierre as John Stewart.
Two months ago, the show released its first teaser trailer and was met with a lot of backlash from fans online.
A lacklustre reception
Despite the vast, intergalactic lore behind the character, the series’ first look showcased a distinct lack of space or anything green, instead presenting something closer to a desert town detective drama.
“This could be a show for literally anything,” read one of the top comments.
Others followed a similar theme, and commenters expressed their disapproval with retorts like “I want some Green Lantern in my Green Lantern show”, and “There’s no green, even the grass is yellow”.
A glimpse of a Green Lantern super suit was especially criticised for its armour-clad, brown appearance.
Despite the positive reaction to another Green Lantern Corps member’s appearance in 2025’s Superman, fans started to believe the hero was cursed in live-action solo appearances.
The previous live-action iteration of Green Lantern (2011) starring Ryan Reynolds is notoriously one of the most disliked comic book films amongst the superhero community.
Trailer two emerges “in brightest day”
Amidst the backlash of the first trailer, one major detail that fans seemed to neglect was the fact that it was a teaser.
Fortunately, the second proves the show has much more to offer than a barren desert.
Hal Jordan is finally seen using the Green Lantern ring, which allows its user to construct or manifest anything they imagine.
The trailer also takes Jordan to the skies and into space – a galactic breather from the rustic town aesthetic.
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Apologies in order
The comment section and online discourse after this new teaser saw fans eating their critiques.
Aside from the love for the increase in green, there was a considerable increase in people expressing their faith and excitement for the show.
“DCU is in the right hands,” said one user, who draws attention to the fact that the iconic characters’ debuts will influence their futures in DC Comics’ recent cinematic universe reboot.
Several other users commenting on the newly launched DC Cinematic Universe applauded the stylistic distinction between each of its upcoming projects.
‘Lanterns’ joins the ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Clayface’ films in the 2026 slate.
They will be released in June and September to continue the fictional universe kicked off with James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ (2025).
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