‘Not often that we get casting this perfect’: DC has found its John Stewart, and Green Lantern fans have gone from blackest night to brightest day

David Corenswet’s Superman, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl, Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen.

Indeed, ever since James Gunn began spearheading preparations for the incoming DC Universe, we’ve been treated to casting win after casting win, and with still a bit of time to go before this brave new world even airs its first morsel in Creature Commandos, we’ve only scratched the surface thus far.

And beneath this surface is an absolute depth of talent that will be co-leading the in-development Lanterns series as John Stewart. Indeed, per Variety, say hello to the DCU’s final Green Lantern; Aaron Pierre.

“Inspired” doesn’t even begin to encapsulate the nuances of this casting. Anyone fortunate enough to have peeped the Netflix thriller film Rebel Ridge knows exactly how well we viewers are going to eat when Lanterns rolls up on Max, with Pierre having bossed that film’s leading roll with star-making gravitas and profound emotional dexterity.

But it doesn’t end there, either. Pierre’s turn in Rebel Ridge boasts some overlap with his Lanterns character, as John Stewart and Terry Richmond both hail from the ranks of the United States Marine Corps. Realistically, of course, the way Pierre will approach Stewart will only marginally reflect his approach to Richmond, but an Easter Egg is an Eater Egg, and at the end of the day, who’s to say Rebel Ridge didn’t meaningfully prepare him for John Stewart?

Whatever the case, fans are well and truly bewaring the power of this casting, as we all should be.

As for the others who will be donning the Green Lantern garb in the DCU, we know Nathan Fillion is filling the shoes of Guy Gardner, who will have a part to play in Gunn’s Superman next year. Meanwhile, Hal Jordan, who will join Pierre’s John Stewart as the other of Lanterns‘ co-leads, will be played by Kyle Chandler of Friday Night Lights fame.

Plot details on Lanterns remain scarce, but we know that the show will take place on Earth and feature a detective-like story that will follow Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a mystery (more Rebel Ridge coding, oh my). Chris Mundy will serve as showrunner, with Tom King and Damon Lindelof joining him on writing duties. According to Gunn’s DCU co-chair Peter Safran, Lanterns will lead into the main, overarching storyline of the “Gods and Monsters” chapter of the continuity.

Apart from Lanterns, the DCU’s other television endeavors for Chapter One of the universe include the second season of James Gunn’s critically-acclaimed Peacemaker series, the Amanda Waller-centric spinoff Waller, the Themyscira-set political drama Paradise Lost, and “outright comedy” series Booster Gold.

On top of all of this, we will also get the animated Creature Commandos miniseries that’s due out on Max on Dec. 5, running for seven episodes until the series finale on January 16, 2025. An animated Blue Beetle series, complete with Xolo Maridueña reprising the lead role from the 2023 DC Extended Universe film, is also in development.

As for feature films, Superman (due out on July 11, 2025) will be joined by Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow in 2026. Also in the works are The Authority, The Brave and the Bold, James Mangold’s Swamp Thing, an untitled Teen Titans movie, and a team-up between villains Bane and Deathstroke.