‘So he is gonna die’: A legendary DC hero being barred from the movies must mean James Gunn is already killing off the Justice League

The rebooted DCU was shaping up so nicely. On top of lots of positive buzz surrounding filming on Superman earlier this year, the first two projects released under the DC Studios banner have earned almost perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores — The Penguin and Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. I say was, however, as the newborn franchise has already hit a controversy, as it’s looking like we know exactly what’s going to happen to a beloved DC icon.

Thirteen years on from Ryan Reynolds’ one-man attempt to torpedo the brand forever, the Green Lantern mythos is returning to live-action, as Max TV series Lanterns is finally making headway. The show will see John Stewart and Hal Jordan team up to solve an Earth-based mystery, and while we’re still waiting to see who could play Stewart, our new Hal has been found in the form of Friday Night Lights legend Kyle Chandler.

At 59, Chandler is much older than fans had expected for a character who is typically a founding member of the Justice League, and it seems we can now deduce why that is. Green Lantern lovers, I’m sorry for your loss.

Kyle Chandler’s Green Lantern reportedly won’t will his way onto the big screen

After rumors that the likes of Josh Brolin, Ewan McGregor, and Chris Pine were being considered for the part, Kyle Chandler was announced to be in talks to play Hal in Lanterns. The Hollywood Reporter broke the story, confirming that the older-than-anticipated Hal Jordan will be depicted as the reluctant mentor to the rookie John Stewart, to be portrayed by a “young, fresh-faced actor.”

In other words, anyone hoping for Hal Jordan to be the face of the Green Lantern Corps going forward in the DCU will be left disappointed. THR‘s Borys Kit has since confirmed on X that “Chandler does not have a movie component to his deal” with DC Studios. So don’t expect him to turn up in Superman and its subsequent sequels.

Superhero franchises are famous for locking their stars into multi-project deals, so the fact that Chandler has no movie appearances ahead of him speaks volumes. Before a frame of the show has been shot, DC detectives think they’ve already worked out exactly how Lanterns will end. The prevailing theory goes that Jordan will be killed off in season 1, once he’s taught Stewart the tricks of the trade, and it’s John who will go on to be the Justice League’s resident Green Lantern.

“So he is gonna die… it’s that simple,” replied one X user. “I had a feeling they were going after such big, older actors because they’re not going to keep him around. He’s probably going to die partway through if I had to guess lol,” another theorized. As you can guess, most aren’t taking this at all well: “They’re going to retire or kill Hal in the first DCU project. Green Lantern fans continue to lose.”

But, hey, there’s always next time, right? Even if some of us might be Chandler’s age ourselves by that point. “Well.. RIP Hal Jordan. Guess I’ll be on my 60s when another reboot coming around. Talk about missed opportunities,” someone else lamented.

While it would be tragic if Hal is such a minor player in the DCU, after years of waiting to see him return to the screen, let’s not overlook the importance of John Stewart finally getting his dues in live-action — one of DC’s most prominent Black heroes and a character who many grew up with in animated form thanks to the Justice League cartoon. Chandler may be older, and he might not last long, but he has the look and charm to make for the best Hal Jordan we’ve yet had. Not that that’s saying all that much.