David Farnor | On 18, Jan 2020

HBO Max is moving ahead with its Green Lantern series, with some new details dropped this week about the streaming service’s plans.

HBO revealed the new series featuring the comic book hero last year, when unveiling its new subscription platform. Now, with the launch of HBO Max this May, further details are coming to light, with creator Greg Berlanti apparently still looking to mount one of DC’s biggest series to date.

Head of Original Content Sarah Aubrey gave more information at the TCA press tour this week, revealing that the show will span multiple decades.

“It’s going to span several decades on focus on two stories about Green Lanterns on Earth,” she explained, and also revealed that it would feature “the Sinestro story”. Sinestro, of course, is the rogue former Green Lantern Corps member who was dishonourable discharged, turning him into the archenemy of Hal Jordan (the Green Lantern). He was played by Mark Strong in the 2011 feature film, which was directed by Martin Campbell and co-written by Berlanti.

With that film flopping at the box officer, Warner is now gearing up to have another crack as the character. The project joins a string of other animations in the work for HBO Max, including Looney Tunes, Jellystone, Adventure Time: Distant Lands, Little Ellen, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Rick and Morty, and The Boondocks.

It also arrives as WarnerMedia tries to work out how to position DC series on its DC subscription platform, DC Universe, versus shows on HBO Max. HBO Max DC series will include an Aquaman TV series, as well as DC Super Hero High. DC Universe series Doom Patrol, meanwhile, will also be coming to HBO Max as well as the DCU platform, with no confirmation yet on what will happen to other DCU shows, including Harley Quinn, Titans and Young Justice.

“We’re working out what those mechanics are,” HBO Max’s Chief Content Officer Kevin Reilly admitted this week. “We have to figure out those two subscriptions, and we haven’t worked out the mechanics of what that’s going to look like.”

One option may be for DCU originals to air a day early on that platform before being added to HBO Max. Either way, with DC Universe series being licensed out to Channel 4 (Harley Quinn), STARZPLAY (Doom Patrol) and Netflix (Titans), and with Sky otherwise renewing its ongoing partnership with HBO, it looks unlikely that HBO Max will launch in the UK, with Green Lantern’s latest animated outing more likely to air on Sky or somewhere else.

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