New Lanterns Footage Has DC Fans Seeing Red Over the Green

DC is loading up 2026. On the movie side: Supergirl and Clayface. On TV: Lanterns finally lands in August on HBO Max. After the 2011 Green Lantern faceplant, fans have been waiting more than a decade for a proper live-action do-over. The new footage just dropped… and yeah, people have thoughts. Mostly about, uh, the color green.

The new peek: cool suit, cooler color temperature

HBO Max rolled out a teaser sizzle reel of what is coming soon, with quick flashes of a few heavy hitters: the upcoming Harry Potter series, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, a new season of The Gilded Age, and a fresh look at Lanterns. The Lanterns snippet puts Kyle Chandler front and center, fully suited up as Hal Jordan.

The suit itself leans armored rather than slick spandex, which already sets it apart from the classic comics look. The bigger shocker for fans, though, is the palette. The shot is color graded in moody blues with only the faintest green peeking through. If you squint, you can tell it is not black-and-white, but it is definitely not the bright emerald fans expected.

Fans: where is the green, exactly?

Social media went right for the obvious joke, calling it more Gray Lantern than Green Lantern and asking where the green even went. A few folks pushed it further, arguing the whole thing reads muddy brown instead of green, then cooked up a very on-brand oath for the occasion:

In the brownest day, in muddiest nights
No color shall enter my sight
Beware my saturation, brown lantern's light

Not everyone hated it. Some fans pointed out that Chandler is playing an older Hal Jordan, so it tracks that his gear would look older and less neon- fresh. Others liked that the suit looks like it has actually seen combat instead of a glossy CG sheen. Fair point: battle damage does not usually make anything brighter.

Does the suit really have to glow green?

Showrunner Chris Mundy has already said the show will have green in the mix, but it is aiming for something more grounded than the bright, highlighter-pen aesthetic of the comics. I get why that makes some fans nervous, but a less candy-colored Green Lantern is not automatically heresy.

Yes, the quick pitch for Green Lantern is 'space cops,' but the books have done their share of Earthbound, rougher-edged stories too. Think the Green Lantern/Green Arrow 'Hard Traveling Heroes' era — not exactly a rave of neon constructs. And in comics, color does a ton of storytelling heavy lifting that live action can hand off to lighting, sound, performance, and music. What pops on a page can feel cartoony on camera if you do not dial it in.

What we do and do not know yet

We are still guessing off a few seconds of a sizzle reel. It is totally possible the clip shows an outdated suit on a worn-down, maybe semi-retired Hal. It is also the only fully suited Lantern we have seen so far, so John Stewart or any other Lanterns could bring a brighter green to the party. Until the full series drops in August, we are all arguing over a color grade.

• Lanterns hits HBO Max in August 2026; fans have awaited a live-action rebound since 2011's disappointing feature.
• New footage appeared in an HBO Max sizzle reel that also teased Harry Potter, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, and a new season of The Gilded Age.
• Kyle Chandler is fully suited as Hal Jordan; the suit looks more armored than comic-traditional.
• The shot is graded in cool blues with only subtle green, sparking 'Where's the green?' jokes and even a parody oath.
• Some fans defend the choice, noting an older Hal and a battle-worn suit could explain the muted tones.
• Showrunner Chris Mundy has indicated the show will include green but favors a more realistic tone over neon comic-book brightness.
• We have only seen one suited Lantern so far; other characters or later episodes could lean greener.