Aaron Pierre was relatively tight-lipped about his new role as John Stewart in DC’s new Lanterns series while speaking to Esquire.
The Rebel Ridge star, Zooming in from Portugal, only promised writer Jonathan Evans that he’d would reveal more during the press tour.
Still, he couldn’t help but express how grateful for the opportunity to be part of beloved franchises like Star Wars and, of course, DC’s ring-wielding space patrol.
Pierre let it slip that Lanterns has officially wrapped its shoot. “It was an enormous shoot,” he told Evans. “It was of a grand scale in every sense of the word.”
This series comes on the heels of the Lantern Corps’ triumphant return in James Gunn’s Superman reboot, with Kyle Chandler playing a version of Hal Jordan coming to the end of his tenure as a member.
The passing of the green rings is not just a plot point but an emotional touchstone for the actors themselves to relate to their characters.
“One of the things I love most about the Lantern Corps is that, yes, they are heroes. Yes, they are celebrated and championed.” But they embrace their flaws in a way that is beautiful,” Perre shares.
In one of the more intriguing moments in their interview, Pierre mentions that the actors began to develop genuine respect not just for the characters they played but for one another.
“We would often have this conversation on set. I feel like, knowing what I know and what we’ve done with this season, even if I wasn’t part of it, I would watch it and say, ‘I know those guys. In real life, I know those guys.’”
This all sets the stage for an upcoming season of superhero television that is bustling with excitement.
Gunn’s DC Universe seems to be bringing back a sense of optimism and brightness after a spandex era in cinema marked by moodiness. If Superman is any indication, we’re in for a refreshingly hopeful vision of these heroes.
It’s so relatable that, as Pierre argues, watchers would probably send in an application themselves. Any reader can tell that the production process seems to be one brimming with comfort and good feelings for Pierre and the cast.
“Dude, I’m ecstatic,” he told Evans, “I’m over the moon. There are really no words to articulate how thrilled, energized, grateful I am. I use the word grateful a lot.”
The upcoming Lanterns series is slated for an early 2026 release on HBO.
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