Nathan Fillion's 8-Part HBO Series Sets Up The Sci-Fi Event Of 2027

Published Nov 2, 2026, 9:30 AM EST 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. Lanterns deserves a lot of credit for making the character of Guy Gardner work. James Gunn had introduced Guy in Superman, leading the Justice Gang into battle against interdimensional imps, but Lanterns had a much more grounded, realistic tone. In Superman, Guy had spent all his scenes in costume, making extravagant constructs with his Power Ring, but Lanterns was less of a standard superhero show and more of a gritty crime drama. It didn’t have much in the way of cosmic spectacle; it was a murder mystery set on Earth. Gunn had written Guy so broad and comedic, but Lanterns was a deliciously dark drama. Guy had to step out of the crazy, comic-booky world of Superman and into the gritty, grounded world of Lanterns — he essentially had to step out of Star Wars and into True Detective — and the series made that transition feel seamless. The writers made Guy fit into the realistic world they’d created without sacrificing any of his immature name-calling and foul-mouthed flights of fancy (in fact, on HBO, his mouth could be a lot more foul). Nathan Fillion brought a bit more edge to Guy in Lanterns, not just in the language but in his personality, too; he’s still the same character, but he has some previously unseen depth and pathos. In Lanterns, Guy still had all the bravado from Superman, but we saw that that bravado was covering up a very deep well of insecurity. Lanterns turned Guy from scene-stealing comic relief to a fully rounded superhero in his own right. Lanterns was mostly disconnected from Gunn’s larger DC Universe; it didn’t have any gratuitous cameos by Superman and Supergirl, and it didn’t have a post-credits stinger setting up Clayface. But the finale did set up one of the DCU’s most important upcoming projects: Gunn’s Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. Lanterns Sets Up John Stewart & Guy Gardner's Roles In Man Of Tomorrow Via MovieStillsDB The season 1 finale of Lanterns drastically shook up the status quo of Earth’s Green Lanterns in the DCU. Guy will continue to be our official Green Lantern, protecting Earth from intergalactic threats, but John will protect Earth itself as a renegade Green Lantern with his own Lantern, his own Power Ring, and his own spin on the classic oath. While Guy is still beholden to the authority of the Guardians of the Universe, John is free to follow his own compass and fight crime how he sees fit. This was a huge character development for John, and it’ll be interesting to see where his journey goes in Lanterns season 2 (which hasn’t been officially confirmed, but feels inevitable after the success of season 1), but it’s also an important setup for Gunn’s Superman sequel. Man of Tomorrow is set to be released in theaters on July 9, 2027, and John and Guy are both confirmed to appear in its sprawling ensemble. Man of Tomorrow will see Superman reluctantly teaming up with his old nemesis, Lex Luthor, to take on a common enemy: Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger. The sequel is bringing back all the fan-favorites from the first film — Mister Terrific, Hawkgirl, Jimmy Olsen — but it’s also introducing Adria Arjona in an undisclosed role that could be Wonder Woman, it’s bringing back Xolo Maridueña’s Blue Beetle from the previous incarnation of the DC Universe, and it’s folding Aaron Pierre’s Green Lantern into the wider DCU ensemble. When John and Guy show up in Man of Tomorrow, we’ll get a glimpse at how they’re divvying up their Green Lantern duties. It’s inevitable that they’ll step on each other’s toes, and it’ll be fun to see how they’re making it work — and how the Guardians feel about how John is doing things — before they return in Lanterns season 2. Lanterns Release Date August 16, 2026 Network HBO Cast Aaron Pierre John Stewart