Lanterns Adds A Female Lead

November 2, 2024

Key Takeaways

Kelly McDonald was cast as Sheriff Kerry to be the female lead in HBO Max’s Lanterns.
McDonald is known for playing complex characters, bringing a unique flair.
It’s possible that Sheriff Kerry will also be the romantic interest of Hal Jordan.

One of the most anticipated shows of James Gunn’s new DCU continues to staff up at a pretty impressive pace. Lanterns has already cast its two main characters as well as the Green Lantern that will make some appearances but isn’t central to the show. Now there are reports out there that Gunn has found the actress who will play the HBO Max’ series female lead.

In doing so, Gunn has found a veteran actress with plenty of experience portraying the type of character she’ll play in the DCU show. Interestingly enough she joins several other members of the cast who have never appeared in a superhero show before they were cast in Lanterns.

Lanterns Gets It’s Top Law Enforcement Officer

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kelly McDonald has been brought on board the show as a character known as Sheriff Kerry. According to the official character description, Sheriff Kerry is a, “no-nonsense woman deeply devoted to her family and close-knit town. Her resilience, shaped by a complex past that’s hardened her resolve, anchors her when the community’s secrets begin to surface.” It’s also thought that Kerry will be the romantic interest of Kyle Chandler‘s Hal Jordan. Because this show is supposed to be a bit more realistic than most audiences would expect a show about heroes who can form just about anything with their rings, it’s possible that Kerry and Hal will strike up a romance where she doesn’t know (at least at first) that he is in fact a member of the Green Lantern corps.

Television audiences best know McDonald as the wife (and eventual ex-wife) of Nucky Thompson in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. More recently, the actress appeared in a recent season of Black Mirror in one of the more popular episodes of the Netflix original streaming series, “Hated in the Nation.” That episode saw McDonald playing a police detective in London who has to solve a string of murders and once the killer is uncovered helps to run a taskforce to try and stop him from using remote control bees to kill people who are using social media to take out their frustrations. It’s possible she’ll be channeling that character when she portrays Sheriff Kerry.

McDonald joins Chandler, as well as Aaron Pierre who was cast earlier in October as John Stewart and Nathan Fillion who is playing Guy Gardner. Fillions will also show off his ability to wield the green ring when Superman: Legacy debuts in theaters next summer.

Lanterns are said to have a gritty, True Detective vibe and follows a veteran, Hal Jordan, who has become a legend amongst the Green Lantern Corps as he reluctantly shows the ropes to the young upstart who might eventually replace him when he decides to retire. John Stewart. The two intergalactic cops are said to get drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. It’s not clear if Guy Gardner will be a recurring character in the show or if Fillion is making a cameo. For now, Lanterns doesn’t have an official release date but it’s expect to hit HBO Max sometime in 2025.