Kyle Chandler says Lanterns won't be a "slow burn" after Hal Jordan's episode 1 cliffhanger: "It's an exciting poker game"

The first episode of Lanterns ended, fittingly, in blackest night with a dead body.

Despite the premiere shocker – as part of a 2026 flash-forward – reframing the whole show already, Hal Jordan actor Kyle Chandler promises what follows isn't going to be a "slow burn" before we get to the grand reveal.

Be warned, major spoilers for Lanterns episode 1 within.

So, Hal Jordan is dead. How he got there, who killed him, and whether we're actually looking at Hal slumped in the snowy rafters in Rushville remain a mystery

But what Chandler is transparent about when we spoke to him about that moment is that it's going to be pedal to the (green) metal all the way through – but he warned that "everyone is going to have to watch and find out to make their own decision" on the first episode's rug-pull.

"I think it turns out great," Chandler says. "I think there's a lot of different moves in the whole deal. It's an exciting poker game."

Chandler adds, "We didn't have all the scripts starting out. They started coming in… it's not a slow burn. It goes from one world into another, and grows into that."

We already have one answer courtesy of the show's creatives. It's confirmed that Guy Gardner has Hal Jordan's ring as of the events of Superman. Good luck trying to get anything else out of them – it's among Sector 2814's biggest current secrets in the DCU.

Lanterns is available on HBO Max in the UK and Ireland.

For more, we have a list of the main suspects who could have killed Hal Jordan.

Then, we shine a light on DC's bright future with our guide to DCU Chapter One.