Arrow Co-Creator Shares Details and Concept Art for Canceled Green Lantern Show That Shares Striking Similarities to HBO's Lanterns
Concept art for a canceled Green Lanterns show has been shared online by a co-creator of the CW’s Arrow series, showing what the Emerald Knights’ adventures almost looked like before HBO pivoted to Lanterns, instead.
Marc Guggenheim, who helped spearhead the CW’s Arrowverse franchise, showed off the artwork on his Substack on October 7, which consisted of three separate pieces. He also shared some trivia about the series’ plot, which shared some similarities to HBO’s Lanterns.
The first of these similarities is that this canceled show, titled Emerald Knights, would have taken place in two different time periods. Manhunters were the primary villains of the series, who also served as the central antagonists of Lanterns (in a way, at least).
“I have to reach into my memory to recall other bits of trivia like that, but I do remember that our original take took place in two time periods and had the Manhunters as the primary villains and my original title pitch was Emerald Knights,” Guggenheim said.
The first piece of artwork that he shared showed a group of Green Lanterns fending off a horde of attacking aliens using various projections like a bo staff, a sword, and shields. According to Guggenheim, this artwork was supposed to portray the opening of the show’s pilot episode.
“I wish I could remember the name of the artist that did this piece. It was concept art for the opening sequence of our Pilot," he wrote.
The last two images were character-focused, showing early looks at Guy Gardener and another Lantern that many fans might assume is Jo Mullein at first glance. This artwork notably included the faces of actors Finn Wittrock and Jenelle Monae, respectively; Monae’s inclusion isn’t a huge surprise, though, given that writer N.K. Jemisin and comic artist Jamal Campbell used her likeness to design Mullein’s visual look. However, Guggenheim clarified that this artwork wasn’t portraying Mullein, but instead was an original character created specifically for the show.
"No, this isn’t Jo Mullein. This is the costume design by Laura Jean Shannon for a new character we had created for the series,” he said. He also gave some more information about Gardner’s costume, saying it was planned to be altered “slightly” in order to reflect his Justice League International design.
HBO’s Lanterns was a smash hit, and has already entered early development for a second season, according to the show’s co-creator. While it’s certainly interesting to think about what Guggenheim’s canceled Emerald Knights series could have done with the source material, it’s safe to say that Lanterns’ showrunners knocked it out of the park, earning rave reviews from hardcore fans and critics alike.
For more Lanterns news, check out our interview with Aaron Pierre, Kyle Chandler, and executive producers Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, where they delve into their mission for the show’s first season and why they decided to take a different approach to its final conflict.
Image Credits: Marc Guggenheim, Substack