- Primary Subject: Josh Brolin on turning down the role of Hal Jordan in Lanterns
- Key Update: Josh Brolin revealed whether he regretted turning down the lead role in the DCU series.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: October 19, 2026
- Quick Answer: Josh Brolin has no regrets about turning down Hal Jordan in Lanterns, expressing happiness for the cast.
Josh Brolin recently reflected on turning down the role of Hal Jordan in Lanterns following the DCU series' massive success.
Before Kyle Chandler was cast, the former MCU star was first offered to play Hal Jordan in the DCU series, but he ended up turning it down. Now that the first season has aired and Chandler's performance has been widely praised, some fans are still wondering whether Brolin had any regrets about his decision.
Does Josh Brolin Regret Turning Down Lanterns?
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Josh Brolin was asked whether he has any regrets about turning down the role of Hal Jordan in Lanterns.
He shared that he does not feel any heartbreak about his past decision to turn down the DC series following its successful reception, and it was not the first time he turned down any major project in his career.
"No, it was just one of those things. Lanterns, I love those actors, and I’ve seen it. I hope that it’s killing it. If I decide not to do something, I never really think, 'Oh, had I done it, it could have been better,'" the actor said.
"Birdman was that way when I saw what Edward Norton did with it. I was like, 'That’s excellent.' It’s not necessarily what would’ve transpired had I done it, but there’s no comparison. Matt Damon was supposed to do Milk before me, and because it [was] pushed, he had to go do something else that he was required to do. So I went in there and did my version of that."
Brolin added, "But Lanterns, I don’t know, maybe it was too close [to Outer Range]. I really loved Outer Range, and seeing what those actors — Tom Pelphrey, Lewis Pullman, Imogen Poots — have done since then makes me very happy. To me, it’s a great middle finger to those people who canceled that show. It’s like, 'You had gold.' So that’s how I perceive it."
Based on his remarks, it looks like Brolin has no regrets. Some fans would even agree that Kyle Chandler ended up becoming a better choice for Hal Jordan, so things happened exactly the way they were meant to be.
Is Lanterns Already Renewed for Second Season?
So far, DC Studios and HBO have not renewed Lanterns for a second season.
In a recent interview, DC Studios co-chairman Peter Safran revealed that they will decide on the show's renewal for a second season before the end of this year.
He also explained that the series will only move forward if the writers manage to come up with a story worthy of being a successor to the first season.
"If we're able to come up with what we believe to be a worthy successor to a beloved and great first season, that's what's going to dictate whether there's a second season," Safran said.
However, the DC Studios co-chairman highlighted how the first season had a successful reception and how it made people interested again in the Green Lantern property years after the maligned 2011 film.
"This was one great season of television based on a property that had been somewhat irradiated since 2011, right? The thing that's most gratifying about this show and this season on HBO is that it's brought Green Lantern back into the conversation, into the public culture in a really positive fashion," he said.
For now, fans should stay tuned for the update before the year ends.
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