HBO DC series 'Lanterns' casts former 'Ozark' and 'The Truman Show' star but one key detail remains missing
HBO released the second official teaser for its DC series 'Lanterns' on Monday, revealing a major cast member. Laura Linney, the acclaimed film and television actress known for Netflix's 'Ozark' and 'The Truman Show', was seen in the final moments of the teaser. Though her association with the project had been rumored since 2025, there was no official confirmation until now. There is still no information regarding her character. All we get to see is a brief interaction between her and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart, where she appears to be motivating Stewart to take the Power Ring: "Go and get it, John Stewart."
From the two teasers released so far, the series appears to be focused on the relationship between John Stewart and Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler. Per the official logline, the show follows “new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” While the first teaser portrayed them as a team, with Jordan acting as a mentor/trainer to Stewart, the second teaser shows them as more independent personalities with different ambitions. Stewart questions Jordan's handling of the power and does not consider him the right person to wield it. However, the teaser might be deliberately cut this way to misdirect viewers, who will have to tune in on August 16 to watch the premiere.
Laura Linney's addition to a cast that already includes Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, and Ulrich Thomsen has made 'Lanterns' one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The actress earned four Emmy nominations for her work in 'Ozark.' Her performances in the TV movie 'Wild Iris', 'The Big C', and the HBO miniseries 'John Adams' were also praised. Before becoming one of the biggest names on the small screen, Linney was already an acclaimed film actress with projects such as 'You Can Count on Me', 'Kinsey', 'Primal Fear', 'Mystic River', and 'The Savages' to her name. 'Lanterns' is created and co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who also serve as executive producers alongside James Gunn, Peter Safran, and Ron Schmidt. The first two episodes of the eight-episode series are directed by James Hawes.
