HBO Max’s Green Lantern loses its show runner Seth Grahame-Smith, known for writing The Lego Batman Movie, Dark Shadows, and It, amidst the new shift in the series. The original series was originally planned to focus on Guy Gardner, played by Finn Wittrock, and openly gay Alan Scott, played by Jeremy Irvine, along with “multitude of other Lanterns,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Green Lantern series has been in development since 2019, and will now focus on John Stewart, one of DC’s first Black superheroes, via The Hollywood Reporter.
Due to these creative changes, show runner Seth Grahame-Smith has decided to part ways with the series, stating that he chose to leave after “weathering a number of regime changes,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. While Grahame-Smith has decided to leave, Berlanti Productions, who have DC’s Titans and Doom Patrol on HBO Max, will remain on the project due to its overall deal with Warner Brother Television, via Deadline.
Green Lantern is estimated to be DC’s most expensive show ever made and one of HBO Max’s more expensive projects, via The Hollywood Reporter. In comparison, HBO Max’s original series House of Dragon cost just under $200 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new take on Green Lantern is Berlanti’s second attempt at the superhero’s story, with their previous project being the Green Lantern (2011) film starring Ryan Reynolds which grossed $219 billion with budget of $200, according to The Hollywood Reporter.