Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre revealed new details about the relationship between Hal Jordan and John Stewart in the series "Lanterns". In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actors said that the show's foundation will be a tense mentor-mentee duo who gradually become partners.
At the beginning of the story, John is trained by an experienced Green Lantern. The Guardians of the Universe chose him as Hal's potential successor in case something happened to the veteran of the Corps. Therefore, Jordan is essentially preparing his replacement, which creates hidden tension between the characters.
According to Chandler, the nature of their relationship developed during their first joint filming. The actors began to tease each other and brought this communication style into the frame:
"Aaron has this wonderful way of looking at me — and he really could, if he wanted to — like he wanted to wring my neck. One time in the car, I said something about wisdom, and he said, 'Yeah, but you're old.' I can tease others, but I also take hits myself. After those words, I looked at him that way. That's how we built our dynamic: wisdom versus age."
Pierre added that they often left room for improvisation:
"We both really enjoy not knowing where the scene is going to go beforehand. We'll never do anything that would throw it off course or change the plot. We always successfully get from point A to point B, but how exactly — you never know."
Chandler also compared the characters' relationship to the comedic duo Abbott and Costello:
"Abbott would never let Costello fall, and Costello would never let Abbott fall. But each would let the other get very close to the edge."
"Lanterns" premieres on August 16 on HBO and HBO Max. A fresh trailer for the project will be shown in the coming hours at Comic-Con in San Diego.