‘Lanterns’: Kelly Macdonald Joins HBO, DC Studios’ Superhero Crime Drama

Kelly Macdonald, known for her work in Boardwalk Empire and No Country for Old Men, has joined the cast of HBO and DC Studios’ high-profile superhero crime series Lanterns.

Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre are starring in the crime drama, which hails from Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, Lost) and Eisner Award-winning comic book writer Tom King. The trio are executive producing and writing, with Mundy showrunning what is planned as an eight-episode season.

Lanterns is said to have a gritty, True Detective vibe and follows Hal Jordan (Chandler), a legend amongst the space police force known as the Green Lanterns, as he reluctantly mentors Stewart (Pierre), a younger Green Lantern. The two intergalactic cops get drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. 

Macdonald will play Sheriff Kerry, who per the character description 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. 

The first two episodes will be directed by James Hawes who will also executive produce.

Macdonald earned an Emmy nomination for her work on Boardwalk Empire, the period crime drama that aired on HBO from 2010 to 2014. In addition to No Country, her film work ranges from Trainspotting to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows – Part 2 to voicing the lead in Pixar’s Brave. She most recently starred opposite Damian Lewis in vampire movie The Radleys.

Macdonald is repped by CAA and Independent Talent Group.