The DC television universe has encompassed characters like Batman, the Titans, Supergirl, Superman, Arrow, Lucifer, and even the Doom Patrol in recent years, and whether on DC Universe, The CW, Netflix, or the movies, there are always new characters to spotlight. Notably missing were the many Green Lantern characters. Now HBO Max is exploring the Green Lantern side of things, thanks to a new series being developed by Greg Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, something Berlanti seems incredibly excited about.

In 2019 Berlanti led into his pitch for Green Lantern by saying “in what promises to be our biggest DC show ever made, we will be going to space with a Green Lantern television series, but I can’t reveal any more about that just yet.” This weekend, the streamer revealed official details about the upcoming series with an order for 10 episodes.

Green Lantern will explore the history of the different heroes who join the corps, with prolific executive producer Greg Berlanti teaming up with showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith to tell the stories of heroes like Alan Scott, Kilowog, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, and many more in a brand new live-action series. While there’s no word yet on if the show will be set in the continuity of Zack Snyder’s Justice League universe or exist as a separate entity, DC and HBO Max have made it clear that these are lines that can be blurred and explored in the future.

Green Lantern will be co-written by novelist-screenwriter Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter; The LEGO Batman Movie) and Arrowverse architect Marc Guggenheim (Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and 2011’s Green Lantern). There’s no release date yet, but fans can expect a one-hour drama series that will explore the darkest corners of the universe and the space force tasked with protecting them.

DC fans will no doubt already be very familiar with Guggenheim, who in addition to working as a comic book writer, has written multiple DC projects for both film and television. He co-created and served as showrunner on the hit CW series “Arrow” as well as “Legends of Tomorrow.” He also co-wrote the 2011 “Green Lantern” film starring Ryan Reynolds.

The official logline from Warner Bros. includes mentions of Kilowog and Sinestro, indicating that many members of the Green Lantern Corps will play a major role in the series. Check it out:

“From HBO Max, DC, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television comes a bold adaptation of the iconic comic book franchise, a saga spanning decades and galaxies. Green Lantern will depict the adventures of a multitude of Lanterns, including Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz, and Alan Scott — Earth’s first Green Lantern, who, true to the comics, is a gay man — and many more. The series will also include fan favorites such as Sinestro and Kilowog, and will also introduce new heroes to the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps.”

Warner Bros.

Fans might notice a few major names missing from this description, as the series doesn’t seem to be including DC Comics mainstays like Hal Jordan, John Stewart, or Kyle Rayner. Other new characters like Far Sector‘s Jo Mullein and Green Lantern: Legacy‘s Tai Pham are also omitted from the logline. Of course, that doesn’t mean these characters won’t appear or be mentioned in the 10-episode first season, but it seems clear the show will focus on this core group of characters for now.

A live-action film titled Green Lantern starring Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan and directed by Martin Campbell was released on June 17, 2011 The film, being the character’s first theatrical appearance, featured an origin story. The movie was neither well-received nor financially successful. Berlanti was a producer on that film. Reynolds went on to success as Deadpool in 2016, with an R-rated comedic take very different from his GL portrayal.

We last saw a live-action GL in 2017’s Justice League, when a Green Lantern who resembles Yalan Gur appears in a flashback during the sequence which depicts humankind, Amazonians, Atlanteans, the Olympians and the Lantern fighting Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons.

The CW’s Arrow, with its series finale, strongly hinted that John Diggle had been enlisted to the Green Lantern Corps. Guggenheim said at the time that the semi-subtle Easter Egg — Dig opened a box that crash-landed on Earth, and was bathed in a green glow — “was something that was worked out over a year ahead with DC Entertainment.”

Maybe this time the famed Guardians of the Universe will find the right team to bring them to life.

Other DC shows currently in development at HBO Max include Strange Adventures, Justice League Dark, and a James Gunn led spinoff of his Suicide Squad film with John Cena attached to star.

-30-