UPDATE: An extended 10-second Lanterns preview has now been revealed, and it's packed full of additional footage.
Many fans were unimpressed by the first Lanterns trailer, bemoaning a lack of green—which really should be front and centre in a show about a hero called Green Lantern—and epic action.
Well, a new seven-second teaser just dropped, and as red lasers blast down from above, Hal Jordan creates a massive energy construct to shield those below. This is a step in the right direction for sceptics, even after recent confirmation that cosmic members of the Green Lantern Corps won't appear in Lanterns' debut season.
It will be interesting to see what we get in tomorrow's full trailer, as DC Studios needs to win fans back with this next sneak peek. Whether it's a first look at Hal and John Stewart suited up or a glimpse of Sinestro, a sign that this isn't just a True Detective wannabe with a few minutes of superpowered action here and there would silence the doubters immediately.
Of course, HBO will also be looking to avoid alienating its target audience, who may not have much interest in seeing blockbuster superhero CGI on the premium cable network.
Collider recently asked Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy about the challenge of writing the series, and he said, "The toughest challenge, right off the bat, was that we wanted to make both Hal and John relatable and human in surprising ways."
"But these are characters that have been around a long time, and people feel incredibly close to them. So, making sure we stayed true to that core but also introduced new facets of their lives was bound to be scary."
He continued, "We wrote Hal at an age that isn't typical for superhero stories. And doing that felt like a way to get at a fear of replacement that doesn't normally come in these types of shows."
Check out this new Lanterns teaser below, and stay tuned tomorrow for the new trailer.
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Alongside Kyle Chander and Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones round out the cast.
The pilot is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct.
Lanterns is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, James Gunn, Peter Safran, King, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes, and is based on the DC comic characters from Green Lantern.
Lanterns is set to premiere on HBO in August.