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Lanterns star Kyle Chandler teases upcoming Sinestro scene – and "secrets" in his performance

The rich history between these arch-nemeses is moving from page to screen.

Sinestro in his dark, shadowy prison, looking up sternly at his visitor, Hal Jordan, in a scene from Lanterns

John Johnson/HBO Max

Published: Monday, 31 August 2026 at 3:00 am

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Lanterns fans might have been disappointed by the total absence of Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) in the third episode – but don't worry, the iconic villain's role is set to expand.

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The HBO series reimagines DC Comics's Green Lantern characters in a True Detective-style mystery drama, tasking Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) with unravelling the secrets of a small Nebraska town.

The eight-part drama utilises sci-fi elements much more sparingly than 2011's much-maligned Green Lantern film, but episode 2 did see Hal briefly venture into outer space to drop in on an old friend-turned-nemesis.

Sinestro is serving time in a dark, cavernous prison for his crimes against the Green Lantern Corps, of which he was once a member, but a tense reunion was cut short when the credits rolled.

With Lanterns episode 3 being solely focused on John's life story, viewers are still waiting to find out how Hal and Sinestro's conversation unfolded. Luckily, star Chandler gave Radio Times some hints about what to expect in a forthcoming scene.

"The second scene that we do, it's like a five-page scene," he revealed. "It's a long scene. A lot of discussion that deals with so many different issues – the past of Hal's lore, and talking about John Stewart.

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"It was a hard piece of material to me, as an actor, to mould and find what I wanted to," continued Chandler, who has previously admitted to not being a follower of the decades-long Green Lantern comics (via Television Academy).

Nevertheless, Chandler had been made aware of how important the relationship between Hal and Sinestro is to their stories and their fans, collaborating closely with co-star Ulrich Thomsen (Banshee, Shining Girls) on the fraught dynamic.

"In the long run, there was something very, very personal that I found with [Thomsen] and I, both as actors and as the characters," explained Chandler.

Hal Jordan wears his weathered Green Lantern costume and looks severe as he visits Sinestro in a dark space prison

Kyle Chandler stars in Lanterns. HBO Max

"And maybe not all of it is true to what the show['s canon] is, but as an actor, you can think anything you want to create a scene and make it grounded.

"And so, where I went personally with it, I'm really excited to watch and see if it worked… [I was trying] to display these secrets that the audience doesn't know, to let the audience know there's just so much more here."

Therefore, eagle-eyed fans should pay close attention to Hal and Sinestro's future interactions in order to pick up these subtle clues pointing towards their troubled past.

The Lanterns cast is co-led by Kelly Macdonald as Rushville's diligent Sheriff Kelly Kane, with Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan and Nathan Fillion also featuring.

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Lanterns is out now on HBO Max. New episodes drop on Mondays. Subscribe from £5.99 a month.

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Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of David Craig, smiling against a lime green background.

David CraigSenior Drama Writer

David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.

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