Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose with this silver fox’s Hal Jordan casting

We’ve been waiting for the Lanterns for quite some time. Well, since 2011, at least, but most fans pretend Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern movie doesn’t exist. Still, the point stands: The Lanterns have been a long time coming for DC Comics fans.

With the new HBO series Lanterns coming our way, we all wondered who would be the Lantern at the heart of it. We’ve yet to see John Stewart have his time to shine, and with current rumors about who DC Studios wants for Hal Jordan, we have a bit more insight into how the show will focus on Hal, John, and the rest of the Lanterns team.

It was reported by The Hollywood Reporter this week that our favorite silver fox and good football dad, Kyle Chandler, is tapped to play Hal Jordan in the series. Sources said that DC had been searching for an older more well-known actor to play Hal so that they could cast an unknown, younger actor in the role of John Stewart.

Casting Chandler has ushered in a sea of chants for Coach Taylor. The Friday Night Lights actor has a long history of playing characters fans want to root for. As a huge fan of Chandler (particularly his role as Coach Eric Taylor), this casting really works for me.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s report gives us an idea of what Lanterns is going to be, and the reasoning for Chandler’s casting makes sense, especially if we’re getting an actual detective-esque story out of the series.

What does an older Hal Jordan mean for Lanterns?

Rumors state that the show will have Hal Jordan reluctantly mentoring a younger John Stewart. They also state that the show will have a “gritty” feel to it, à la True Detective. This will be interesting if true because it means we’ll have at least two DC Studios shows referencing or homaging other HBO shows. With The Penguin‘s pulls from The Sopranos, it is a cool move for the DC universe.

The Hollywood Reporter also stated that the show will focus on an “Earth-bound murder” and two characters investigating, with “larger implications” as a result. That’s about all we have. But with an older Hal Jordan, it looks like this is going to be a fascinating project for the Lanterns as a whole.

So, will John Stewart then be our official Green Lantern moving forward? Will he go back and meet with Hal when needed? I have so many questions, but knowing that my beloved Coach Taylor will be in the DC universe fills my heart with joy.