Greg Berlanti’s “Green Lantern” TV series has been scrapped as part of the new direction for the DC Universe overseen by Peter Safran and James Gunn.
“Greg’s vision was more of a space opera that he wanted to do and our vision for it is a much more True Detective, terrestrial-based investigation story,” Safran said during a presentation of the initial DCU slate, which TheWrap attended along with a small group of reporters.
Berlanti’s series, which saw the departure of showrunner Seth Grahame-Smith last fall, was to star Finn Wittrock and Jeremy Irvine and was to feature an openly gay Green Lantern. Grahame-Smith’s 10-episode first season was focused on a variety of Green Lanterns simultaneously, including Alan Scott, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz.
The project was first greenlit in 2020 and marked DC’s attempt to reboot the Green Lantern character following the ill-fated Ryan Reynolds feature film that was released in 2011.
In January, the “Riverdale” producer signed a new overall deal with Warner Bros. Television lasting through 2027.
Gunn and Safran noted that Berlanti is not associated with any DC projects currently in development.
Gunn and Safran’s new version of “Green Lantern,” an HBO Max series called “Lanterns,” is already in development and will focus on the heroes John Stewart and Hal Jordan.
“It plays a really big role leading into the main story that we’re telling across our film and television,” Safran teased. “So this is a very important show for us.”
The pair noted that they would announce the writer of the series at a later date. In addition, Safran and Gunn revealed that they are currently in talks with actors about playing the lanterns.
“Anybody that we cast as John Stewart or Hal Jordan, they will then crossover into the movie side of things as well,” Safran added. “That’s important to us. We don’t want in any way that series to feel like stepchildren or lesser than. It’s just another way to tell the story.”
Grahame-Smith’s 10-episode first season was focused on a variety of Green Lanterns simultaneously, including Alan Scott, Guy Gardner, Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz.
The project was first greenlit in 2020 and marked DC’s attempt to reboot the Green Lantern character following the ill-fated Ryan Reynolds feature film that was released in 2011.
