Lanterns co-creators were aware that changing the Green Lantern oath is “heresy” so they approached John Stewart’s version “like a remix.”
In the Lanterns season 1 ending, John – now an ‘independent contractor’ instead of a member of the Lantern Corps – puts his own twist on the iconic words: “In brightest day, in darkest night, I embrace my fear, I’ll do what’s right. I choose this ring, I choose this fight – in service to this lantern’s light.”
But why the change? With apparently “all” of the writers’ room contributing to the tweaks, there was a real awareness of not playing with established lore too much.
“This is one of those moments where you’re holding your hand close to the flame of canon,” co-creator Damon Lindelof said on Lanterns: The Official Podcast. “It is heresy to fuck with the oath… [But] once we put John on the journey that he’s on, the only way he can authentically take the ring is to do it on his own terms. Part of that is saying that there are parts of the original oath that feel good to him, but there are other parts he has to claim for himself.”
“We approached it like a remix,” showrunner Chris Mundy added. “We’re not changing it, we’re just remixing the original. It has the same feel.”
We will next hear John Stewart recite the oath in Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel set for release as part of DCU Chapter One next July.
On making the step into the blockbuster space with his Lanterns character, John Stewart actor Aaron Pierre told GamesRadar+, “For me, what was an enormous gift was having those eight hours of HBO [television] to live with before going onto Man of Tomorrow.”
Pierre added, “I was on the phone to Chris Mundy. He was like, ‘Congratulations, man. You filmed for 106 days out of 112.’ Just on that note, to have 106 days with a character before going on in the DC cinematic universe is a gift. That is not a given. I am very grateful I had that.
“That’s just the way it worked out. I don’t know how intentional it was or wasn’t, but I’m forever grateful for that. It allowed me to step onto the Man of Tomorrow set with a deep understanding of who my man John is.”
For more on how Lanterns signed off, read our breakdown of the Lanterns season 1 ending. Then discover what’s been said about Lanterns season 2.