Lanterns Trailer: Sinestro Revealed, Guy Gardner Cameo, Manhunters

HBO’s upcoming DC Studios drama “Lanterns” got a new trailer for the Green Lantern-inspired mystery at San Diego Comic Con. The eight-episode series premieres on HBO on Aug. 16.

The show stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, a veteran Green Lantern, and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, Jordan’s protege who is learning the ropes. The heroes have magical rings that allow them to create any object imaginable out of green light. They patrol the galaxy and keep peace as members of the Green Lantern Corps. In “Lanterns,” the two outer space cops get called into rural Nebraska for a mysterious murder, which may have connections to dangerous extraterrestrials.

The cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Laura Linney, Paula Patton, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, Sherman Augustus, Paul Ben-Victor and Ulrich Thomsen as the classic Green Lantern villain Sinestro. Nathan Fillion, who played Green Lantern member Guy Gardner in last year’s “Superman” and its upcoming sequel “Man of Tomorrow,” will be back in “Lanterns.”

The new trailer revealed the first look at Sinestro, who has a complicated past with Jordan. In the comics, Sinestro was a former Green Lantern and mentor figure to Jordan, but the red-skinned alien flips and becomes one of Jordan’s greatest villains. He later becomes a Yellow Lantern, an opposing space group who uses fear to power their magical rings. There’s also a cameo from Guy Gardner, plus it’s revealed that the murder mystery surrounds the Manhunters, a race of aliens who can shape-shift and look like anyone.

“Lanterns” is created by Tom King, Damon Lindelof and showrunner Chris Mundy. They also serve as executive producers alongside DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran. “Lanterns” joins “Creature Commandos” and “Peacemaker” as fellow shows in the rebooted DC Universe. Up next for the DCU is this fall’s body-horror movie “Clayface,” starring Tom Rhys Harries as the classic Batman villain.

Watch the trailer below.