Laura Linney has officially joined the cast of HBO’s upcoming DC series The Lantern.
Linney will co-star with previously announced cast members Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, Kelly MacDonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, and Ulrich Thomsen. It was also previously confirmed that Nathan Fillion would be reprising his role as Guy Gardner from Green Lantern in the series. Linney’s casting was first reported in 2025, but had not been officially confirmed until now. The exact details of the character she will play are being kept secret.
Linney appears briefly in a new teaser for the series, which you can watch below.
According to the official logline, the show follows “New employee John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops who become drawn into Earth’s dark mysteries as they investigate a murder in America’s heartland.”
Linney most recently starred opposite Kevin Kline in the MGM+ series “American Classic.” One of her best-known roles is starring in Netflix’s hit crime drama Ozark, where she played Wendy Byrd throughout the show’s four seasons. Her work on the show earned her four Emmy nominations, including three for Best Actress in a Drama and once for Best Actress in a Drama Series, as well as being nominated as part of the production team. Linney has received five other Emmy nominations during her career, winning three times. He has won once for the TV movie “Wild Iris,” once for “The Big C,” and once for the HBO miniseries “John Adams.” She also won Golden Globe Awards for both “The Big C” and “John Adams.” In the film industry, Linney has been nominated for an Oscar three times for “You Can Count on Me,” “Kinsey,” and “The Savages.”
She is repped by CAA, Lighthouse Management & Media, and Yorn Levine Barnes.
“The Lantern” will premiere on August 16, 2026. Produced by HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. It was aired on HBO in June 2024 as an eight-episode series. It was originally planned as an original work by Max, but was moved to HBO as part of a new content depiction plan.
“Lanterns” is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. All three will serve as executive producers along with James Hawes, who also directed the first two episodes. James Gunn, Peter Safran and Ron Schmidt will also serve as executive producers. Stephen Williams, Geetha Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov will direct the series. HBO is producing in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios.
