After Lanterns Star Aaron Pierre Discussed His Early Introduction To John Stewart, I’m Getting Even More Hopeful About His Take On Green Lantern

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Aaron Pierre has a pretty good 2024 between leading the action thriller Rebel Ridge, which can be streamed with a Netflix subscription, and voicing the title character of Mufasa: The Lion King, which is now playing in theaters. As the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae, though, he was also cast to play John Stewart in Lanterns, the Green Lantern-focused series set in the new DC Universe franchise. I’m already intrigued about what Lanterns has in store, but after hearing about Pierre’s early introduction to Stewart, I’m even more hopeful about his take on the character in the upcoming DC TV show.

After admitting in an interview with EW that he hasn’t seen Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern movie, which failed to impress critically or commercially when it was released in 2011, Pierre stated that he was exposed to John Stewart early on from one of the best animated TV shows of all time. In his words:

I think Justice League Unlimited might have been one of my first introductions to John Stewart.

He’s definitely not alone in having learned about John Stewart from Justice League Unlimited or its Justice League predecessor, voiced by Phil LaMarr in both. Although Stewart has been part of DC Comics lore since he was introduced in the pages of Green Lantern #87 in the early 1970s, it was the Justice League animated series, which premiered in 2001, that he became a mainstream DC character. Although Hal Jordan is traditionally depicted as the Green Lantern who helps form the Justice League, the DC Animated Universe went with Stewart instead. This in turn led to John Stewart’s profile increasing in the comics.

So not only were Justice League and Justice League Unlimited great ways for viewers to learn about John Stewart, for a lot of DC fans, he is their main Green Lantern. So it’s about time that this emerald ring-slinger finally makes his live-action debit, although there had been plans for Wayne T. Carr to play the character in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. If Aaron Pierre’s take on Stewart pulls from Phil LaMarr’s version in any significant way, then that will give me one more thing to appreciate from Lanterns.

Pierre will star in Lanterns opposite Kyle Chandler, who’s playing Hal Jordan, the veteran Green Lantern showing rookie John Stewart the ropes. The two protectors of Sector 2814 will be investigating a murder in the American heartland, and this mystery will end up factoring into the main DC Universe storyline. Pierre and Chandler’s Lanterns cast-mates include Kelly McDonald, Garrett Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan. Ozark’s Chris Mundy is serving as showrunner and writing alongside Watchmen’s Damon Lindelof and longtime DC Comics writer Tom King, who’s especially pleased with the Hal and John castings.

Lanterns will begin filming in early 2025 and is expected to premiere on HBO around the same time as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is released in theaters. If you’re looking to enjoy DC Universe-related content now, use your Max subscription to stream Creature Commandos.