Lanterns Showrunner Says That Episode 1's Shocking Ending Was ‘Big and Scary’ to Commit To

Full spoilers follow for HBO’s Lanterns Episode 1. The latest installment in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe has kicked off with a bang – literally. Well, at least we assume there was a bang when Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) was shot and killed offscreen in the Lanterns premiere… That’s right: In the final moments of the first episode of Lanterns, the iconic Green Lantern – test pilot, hero, protector of Sector 2814, founding member of the Justice League (in the comics anyway), and disheveled grumpy grump (in the new show at least) – is found dead, apparently shot in the head. It’s a startling and, frankly, exciting way to begin this new series. I spoke to showrunner Chris Mundy about this turn of events, and he told me that the decision to kill Hal “was kind of big and scary.” Mundy, who created the new show along with Damon Lindelof (HBO’s Watchmen) and Eisner-winning comics scribe Tom King, said that the mystery at the center of the show – which has been billed as “True Detective With Superheroes” – needed to be as “meaningful and emotional as possible” for John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), the would-be Green Lantern who is training under Hal. But not just for John – the Lant