Are Hal Jordan and John Stewart perfect foils? The showrunner for Lanterns reveal how the two Green Lantern Corps. members differ in the series.
One of the biggest questions on everyone’s mind heading into Lanterns is how the series will portray the two main characters: Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Hal is the most well-known Green Lantern, but has had many WILDLY different interpretations throughout the years. John, on the other hand, is a fan-favorite with a more consistent personality. However, some adaptations of the character tend to lean more into some aspects of the character than others.
Showrunner Chris Mundy touched on the balance of crafting a Green Lantern series in a recent interview with Men’s Health magazine. During the chat, he emphasized how important it was to nail the nuances of both Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Interestingly for fans of John, Mundy remarked that his creative side was just as important as his military background.
“To manifest things from the Lantern rings, you’ve got to manifest something from your brain—but also kind of from your soul. What does that look like? What does it feel like? I imagine it’s not much different than being a sculptor or a painter.
“And Aaron had to be able to sell that John could have that ability. And that’s what he did. He understood that John would appreciate that aspect of their powers. We always joked that Hal just wants to hit everything with a big, green fist.”
“[John] was a Marine sniper, which requires a certain kind of focus and diligence. After the Marines, he becomes an architect, so there’s an artistic side to him. Those are a lot of elements that an actor has got to be able to project. And Aaron is someone who understands that physicality as a trained theater actor.”
“We talked a lot about that how being a Marine is John’s job, but it’s not his entire personality. He’s as much an artist as he is a Marine. There’s a real balance of the physical and the artistic that’s just innately inside of Aaron, and I think it’s essential.”
Hal Jordan’s Dynamic In Lanterns
While it’s a relief to see that the series is taking care to capture all of the nuances in John Stewart’s character, there are perhaps a bit TOO many nuances to fully capture in one series for Hal Jordan. The showrunner continued that Lanterns is leaning into Hal being the more experienced of the two Green Lantern Corps. members, comparing him to old-school actor Chuck Yeager.
“Kyle’s character has kind of a throwback Chuck Yeager vibe to him. He’s the kind of guy who you meet, and you don’t know whether you like him or you want to punch him. Then there’s Aaron, who has a quiet authority about him.”
“And I think that’s important to their dynamic, to the story we’re telling. And literally from day one, Kyle started giving Aaron shit for being young and inexperienced. And then Aaron started giving Kyle shit for being an old man.”
Lanterns marks the first time more than one Green Lantern will be seen together in a live-action project. As such, it’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic between Hal Jordan and John Stewart adapts over the course of the series- as well as what the future may hold for the two heroes going forward in the DC Universe.
The Green Lantern series Lanterns is currently in production for HBO. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
