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DC's Lanterns is buddy space cops and aliens, as seen by the Coen Brothers, apparently
Fargo and Americana play their parts in forming the tone of DC Studios' upcoming Green Lantern TV show, says the show's first director
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The last time James Hawes talked about DC Studios’ Lanterns, he likened it to Slow Horses and Black Mirror. Now, the director — who’ll be handling the first couple of episodes of the show translating the Green Lantern mythos to the small screen — is bringing in another unexpected influence: the Coen Brothers.
“Talking tone, it looks and feels rooted,” Hawes told the Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming series during an interview to promote his new movie The Amateur. “You meet two guys, but there is wit and comedy to it that you would not expect in True Detective. It is, in many ways, a buddy cop structure with travel in the story time, to and fro, that is really sophisticated. [Series co-creator and showrunner] Chris Mundy has done the most amazing job with the team there, and so I think [the True Detective comparison] is valid. People will still go, ‘What were you talking about?’ to some extent, but I would also bring in No Country for Old Men, Fargo and things that have that Americana heart to them. There’s a wry humor, and so there definitely is more wit and humor than there is in True Detective.”
Hawes continued, “I wanted this world to be rooted, and while there’s only so far you can go with rooting characters in a show about Green Lantern, they are. This is a world where we accept that the Green Lanterns exist and aliens exist. So the rest of it is played straight and in the world as we know it.”
The director was also asked about his experience working with the relatively new DC Studios leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
“Well, I can only tell you from my experience, which is that it has been inspiring and supportive and truly thrilling,” he said. “I will know more in a few months’ time, but right now, [Lanterns] just felt like a real burst of creative energy.”
Lanterns is expected to debut on HBO and Max in 2026.
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