In the premiere episode of HBO Max's Lanterns , Kyle Chandler turns Hal Jordan into more than a swaggering symbol of willpower. Chandler's take is cocky, bruised, funny, and unexpectedly vulnerable, making this version of Green Lantern feel like the most complete Hal Jordan audiences have seen yet. Hal Jordan has often worked better as an icon than an intimate character. Chandler changes that equation almost immediately, especially during Hal's bar scheme, his grin while Rushville police officers restrain him, and his sharp interrogation of one of Antaan's alien scouts. Why Does This Hal Jordan Hit Differently? Kyle Chandler understands that Hal's confidence only works when the character can back it up. Hal talks too much, annoys nearly everyone around him, and still has enough nerve to take the consequences, which gives Chandler's performance the cocky charm that longtime DC readers expect without reducing Hal to a catchphrase. Aaron Pierre also brings major energy to the series as John Stewart, the Green Lantern whose story is positioned to continue into next summer's Man of Tomorrow . Still, Lanterns belongs to a different kind of Hal Jordan story, shaped by co creators Chris Mundy , Damon Lindelof , and Tom King , who give Hal choices that feel less familiar and more revealing, including his visibly strained delivery of the Green Lantern oath.