Actress Laura Linney to appear in 'Lanterns' series
Washington DC, May 18
Actor Laura Linney has officially joined the cast of the upcoming DC series "Lanterns" at HBO, reported Variety.
Actress Linney will appear alongside previously announced cast members Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, and Ulrich Thomsen.
According to the outlet, it was also previously confirmed that Nathan Fillion would reprise the role of fellow Green Lantern Guy Gardner in the series. Linney's casting was first reported in 2025, though it was not officially confirmed until now.
Exact details on the character she will be playing are being kept under wraps.
Linney does make a brief appearance in a new teaser for the series. HBO shared the teaser on their Instagram handle.
Per the official logline, the show follows "new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland."
Linney most recently starred in the MGM+ series "American Classic" opposite Kevin Kline. One of her best-known roles was a starring role in the hit Netflix crime drama "Ozark", on which she played Wendy Byrde throughout the show's four-season run.
Her work on the show earned her four Emmy nominations, three for best actress in a drama and one as part of the producing team when they got the nod for best drama series.
Linney has received five other Emmy nominations in her career with three wins -- one for the TV movie 'Wild Iris', one for 'The Big C' and one for the HBO miniseries 'John Adams'.
She also won Golden Globes for both 'The Big C' and 'John Adams'. In film, Linney is a three-time Oscar nominee for the movies 'You Can Count on Me', 'Kinsey', and 'The Savages', reported Variety.
'Lanterns' will premiere August 16, 2026. It is produced by HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. It was picked up for eight episodes at HBO in June 2024.
Originally intended as a Max original, the show shifted to HBO as part of a new content delineation plan, reported Variety.
'Lanterns' is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. All three serve as executive producers along with James Hawes, with Hawes also directing the first two episodes.
James Gunn, Peter Safran, and Ron Schmidt also executive-produce the film. Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov will direct the series. HBO produces in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally, some good news for DC fans! But I wish they'd cast more diverse actors from India too. Poorna Jagannathan is there but we need more representation from our subcontinent 🌏🤞
Laura Linney is a powerhouse actress no doubt. But I'm more curious about Nathan Fillion returning as Guy Gardner - that's going to be epic! 🔥 Also, eight episodes sounds perfect for this kind of mystery plot. DC is finally getting its act together after James Gunn took over.
Okay, but why is HBO shifting everything around? First it was a Max original, now it's on HBO. Feels like they're still figuring out their streaming strategy. The cast is top-notch though - Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre will be great as Hal Jordan and John Stewart. Fingers crossed for no CGI disaster like the movie 🤞😬
One thing I appreciate is that they're taking the Green Lantern mythos seriously. The murder mystery in the American heartland sounds like a noir vibe - perfect for HBO! And with Damon Lindelof involved (Watchmen was brilliant), this could be something special. Laura Linney is just the cherry on top 🍒
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