Aaron Pierre's 10/10 Netflix Thriller Now Looks Like A Stealth Lanterns Prequel

Via MovieStillsDB Published Sep 23, 2026, 6:32 PM EDT Ben Sherlock is a Tomatometer-approved film and TV critic who runs the massively underrated YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Before working at Screen Rant, Ben wrote for Game Rant, Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. He's also an indie filmmaker, a standup comedian, and an alumnus of the School of Rock. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Aaron Pierre as John Stewart was a gift from the casting gods. Pierre has been around for a decade — he made his film debut playing Mid-Sized Sedan in M. Night Shyamalan’s sure-to-be cult classic Old, and has since played everyone from Mufasa to Malcolm X — but it wasn’t until 2024’s Rebel Ridge that he became a bona fide star. A modern take on First Blood, Rebel Ridge proved to be a massive hit for Netflix. Since he’s a dead ringer for John, fan castings started to circulate imagining Pierre as the DCU’s Green Lantern. It just so happened that James Gunn was developing a Green Lantern cop show at HBO and he needed a John Stewart, and the perfect John Stewart had just fallen into his lap (the same way the perfect Superman had shown up at the perfect time in a different Netflix original, Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood). So, Pierre was cast as John — a no-brainer, since Rebel Ridge was basically a feature-length audition tape — opposite Kyle Chandler’s Hal Jordan. Now that Lanterns has arrived on HBO, and lived up to its potential and then some, Pierre is a bigger star than ever (and so is Chandler, for that matter; this is Friday Night Lights for a new generation). In hindsight, Rebel Ridge almost feels like a prequel to Lanterns. Pierre plays ex-Marine Terry Richmond, who takes on a corrupt small-town police force led by Don Johnson when they seize his money to prevent him from bailing out his cousin. In retrospect, Rebel Ridge could easily be a wild adventure that John Stewart went on between his military career and his recruitment as a reserve Lantern. If you watch Rebel Ridge now, it almost feels like a supersized bonus episode of Lanterns, so it’s a nice substitute during the interminable week-long wait for the next actual episode. Aaron Pierre As John Stewart Is One Of The All-Time Greatest Comic Book Castings Via MovieStillsDB There are but few comic book castings that feel like they were written in the stars, like no one else could play that particular comic book character as perfectly and precisely as that particular actor. They ripped that superhero right off the pages of a typical comic book and brought them to life with real depth and vulnerability. That could be said of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. Wesley Snipes made Blade who he is — there was barely anything on the page before Snipes ice-skated uphill and imbued the Daywalker with a boatload of personality and charisma — and, honestly, we’ve never had a bad Spider-Man. Now that we’re well into Lanterns’ first season, I can safely say that both Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler fall into that category. Chandler isn’t shying away from Hal’s insufferable arrogance, but he has more than enough charm to keep him endearing, and Pierre is basically John Stewart incarnate. He’s not only a spot-on physical match; he’s also got just the right demeanor and gravitas to do this character justice. Pierre has expertly captured John’s intense focus and seriousness and admirable blend of confidence and humility, and he also brings this River Cartwright-esque humor to the role, desperately trying to save face as he finds himself in increasingly bizarre situations. We’re seeing two of the all-time greatest comic book castings, each playing different generations of the same superhero, sharing the screen every week. If you’re a superhero fan, it’s a very good time to be alive. Lanterns might’ve seemed like a dubious prospect a few weeks ago — True Detective with space cops!? — but it’s turned out to be one of the best new shows of the year. I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out. Lanterns Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart