‘Lanterns’ Star Breaks Silence on Joining James Gunn’s Superhero 'True Detective' Replacement [Exclusive]

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Published Jan 26, 2026, 11:20 AM EST

One of the most exciting projects to come from the DCU this year is Lanterns, the HBO original series starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart. The series also features other stars, like Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner and J. Alphonse Nicholson. The latter of whom recently sat down for an interview at Sundance with Collider’s own Perri Nemiroff to promote his new movie, If I Go Will They Miss You, and his DCU co-star Danielle Brooks was also in attendance. Brooks has starred in both seasons of Peacemaker as Adebayo.

Nemiroff asked Brooks if she had anything to do with Nicholson getting the part in Lanterns, and she shot this down immediately: “No. Heck no. Brother’s so talented. He didn’t need me on that one. But we did talk about it because he already knew that he was going to be doing it. Even his facial hair, he was struggling with that because he had to have it a certain way for his character in that, but nah, that was him! That was him.” Brooks has not been confirmed to have a role in Lanterns, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see Adebayo in the show.

Nemiroff then asked Nicholson what was the best piece of advice he’s received for working on a huge project like Lanterns, which is a collaboration between HBO and DC. He spoke to working with James Gunn, and how the budget differs from smaller, independent projects. You can find his full quote below.

“Oh man, that's such a great question. You’re a great interview. You know what? You live in the moment, right? Thankfully, it all worked out that being clean-shaven worked on both projects, you know what I'm saying? I didn't have to do too much hair and makeup. We had a conversation about what it's like working with James Gunn, and the levels and the complexity. So being on an HBO set, being on an independent set, but also being able to do the same level of work, different budgets, but same level of work, was really amazing for me. So, not only can I not wait for people to see Lanterns, but I'm really excited for audiences to see If I Go Will They Miss Me. And yeah, DC? Come on. That's really dope.”

What Is ‘If I Go Will They Miss Me’ About?

Danielle Brooks and J. Alphonse Nicholson star alongside Kameron J. Meadows, Kevin Adekunkle, Bre-Z, J.J. Boone, and Myles Bullock in If I Go Will They Miss Me. The film follows a boy who sees ghostly visions of other boys in his neighborhood while grappling with his distant relationship with his father. These visions later uncover connections between their shared heritage. The film was written and directed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez, but it does not yet have a global release date.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of Lanterns.