‘Lanterns’ Co-Creator Damon Lindelof Says ‘I Was Sloppy and Careless’ for Claiming ‘Green’ Was Taken Out of Title Because It’s ‘Stupid’: ‘I Made a Dumb Joke’

“Lanterns” co-creator Damon Lindelof has published a statement on Instagram after finding himself in hot water with DC Comics fans due to a joke he made on podcast last year when asked why his show wasn’t just called “Green Lanterns.” The creator wisecracked at the time: “It’s called ‘Lanterns’ because we all agreed that the ‘Green’ was stupid, so now it’s just ‘Lanterns.'”

Lindelof’s words came back to bite him following the release of the first “Lanterns” trailer earlier this month. The footage left some fans worried about the series given that, aside from a quick shot of one character taking flight, nothing about “Lanterns” was giving comic book vibes. HBO appears to be marketing “Lanterns” more in the lane of a “True Detective” mystery than a superhero show. There was also no green in the trailer, which prompted Lindelof’s original comment to resurface about the “Green” in the title being “stupid.”

Comic book writer Grant Morrison, who was behind a popular 2018-2021 run of “The Green Lantern,” then to took to Substack to address Lindelof’s comment by writing: “TV writer/producer Damon Lindelof’s comments notwithstanding, the ‘Green’ in ‘Green Lantern(s)’ is not ‘stupid.’ Why does a writer attach himself to this kind of narrative if he thinks it’s fundamentally ‘stupid’? … What is this jockish dismissal of superhero conventions intended to prove anyway? … The only people who give a fuck about the Lanterns TV series are Green Lantern fans. Why alienate them at the start? That feels more like ‘stupid.’”

Lindelof’s respsect for Morrison as a comic book writer prompted the TV creator to issue a statement on the growing fan concern. Lindelof, whose TV credits also include “Lost,” “The Leftovers” and “Watchmen,” among other titles, posted a photo of himself wearing a Green Lantern shirt and wrote: “I have upset Grant Morrison, which means I have now pissed off MOST of the brilliant British/Scottish comics writers that I grew up idolizing. To quote the bard (Otis Redding), this is nobody’s fault but mine.”

“I made a dumb joke on a comedy podcast. I’m not going to bob and weave about context, the joke was dumb, the fandom is not. I owe them an explanation and a genuine reflection of my actual feelings,” Lindelof added about his resurfaced comment, later clarifying: “Green is not stupid, it is my lifelong favorite color and I have a questionnaire that I filled out in third grade to prove it. Green is fucking awesome.”

“It would be a betrayal to everyone I worked for and alongside to say anything other than I was absolutely honored to be a part of the team that manifested the incredible construct that is ‘Lanterns’… because it was,” Lindelof added. “I was sloppy and careless with my words, ironic considering I care so much about Hal, John and the entire Corps. I can and will do better to be worthy of the oath… until then, I’ll let the show speak for itself and I can’t wait for you all to hear what it has to say.”

“Lanterns” centers around Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a murder in Nebraska. As Green Lanterns, the two are intergalactic peacekeepers who wear emerald rings that give them the power to create green light constructs of any shape or size. The two must use their abilities to uncover a dark mystery and a reckoning that could destroy them all.

“Lanterns” is set to premiere on HBO and HBO Max in August.