It is finally becoming clearer how Sinestro fits into DC Studios' Lanterns. Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen was cast in HBO's Lanterns ahead of production starting in 2025 as Thaal Sinestro, a member of the Green Lantern Corps who defected to form the rival fear-based Yellow Lantern Corps, who harness their powers from fear, not well. Moviegoers were introduced to Sinestro, played by Mark Strong, in 2011's Green Lantern as the mentor to Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan.
Entertainment Weekly finally confirmed Thaal Sinestro's appearance in Lanterns while showrunner Chris Mundy teased how he plays into the HBO series' tale. Mundy dodged answering whether the Yellow Lantern Corps founder is secretly Lanterns' big bad, confirming that the primary interest in his inclusion was the fact that "Hal was trained by Sinestro," and he now has a rookie of his own:
"Obviously, in the canon, Sinestro's the big bad. The thing that interests us is this idea [that] Hal was trained by Sinestro, and Hal is training John."
The DCU showrunner explained that Lanterns will explore the "coaching tree" and what Hal may have taken away from Sinestro, "good or bad:"
"In the coaching tree, we're very interested in what gets passed on, what doesn't, and how much is human nature. We talked a lot about programming and parenting and training...What did Hal take away from Sinestro that was good or bad? It brings up a lot of interesting worries."
It was more recently reported that Sinestro will appear in "every episode" of Lanterns, granting the Yellow Lantern Corps a central role in the HBO series and sparking theories that he may be the DCU's next secret big bad.
Interestingly, the actor behind Sinestro, Ulrich Thomsen, hinted that his Lanterns villain may not be a one-and-done, bidding him "bye, for now." That may be in another DCU project or a Lanterns continuation, as EW confirmed that it was "designed as a multi-season show" for DC Studios.
Sinestro's Lanterns Role Is Intriguing, Even If It Skips a Major DC Storyline
As Lanterns is skipping straight to the latter years of Hal Jordan's superhero career, by which time, his journey from U.S. fighter pilot to Emerald Knight will be comfortably complete. Not only does that mean that fans are unlikely to see Jordan's training, but it also seems the DCU is skipping over Sinestro's betrayal of the Green Lantern Corps and founding of its fear-based yellow counterpart.
Entertainment Weekly confirmed that Lanterns' story begins with a shooting in a small town in Nebraska, which Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan investigates as a potential "alien incident," sparking a larger mystery for the series. Fans have known for some time that the Lanterns will dive into an Earth-based mystery in the series, and one has to wonder if the Yellow Lantern Corps is involved.
So far, DC Studios hasn't done much to paint its upcoming series as more than a grounded, neo-western series akin to Yellowstone, despite its sci-fi leads. But it is becoming increasingly clear that Lanterns is keeping some big secrets, as Chris Mundy revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the heroes will "go off the planet," which is likely where they will encounter Sinestro and other alien beings.
Lanterns' premiere was recently slated for August 14 on HBO, leaving DC Studios three months to kick marketing into gear and possibly begin to peel back some of the series' layers of secrecy. That will, hopefully, include revealing the first look at Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro and teasing how he plays into Lanterns' tale.
