•Arrow co-creator Marc Guggenheim has shared concept art for “Emerald Knights,” a cancelled approach to the Green Lantern Corps that was being developed for The CW.
The reveal follows the conclusion of HBO’s Lanterns last weekend, which ended its run amid emotional struggles and internal conflict rather than superhero space battles. With the series now behind him, Guggenheim offered fans his most detailed look yet at what Emerald Knights would have been.
Concept art for Emerald Knights shows seven Lanterns making a last stand against alien foes, including Guy Gardner, Kilowog and possibly Sinestro.
The never-before-seen concept art was posted on Guggenheim’s Substack. It depicts seven Lanterns facing off against what appear to be slobbering alien creatures. Among the figures are Guy Gardner—described as looking more like the ’90s Lantern Kyle Rayner—alongside Kilowog and a figure that might be the back of Sinestro’s head.
The show would have starred Gardner alongside an original character named Bree Jarta. According to Guggenheim, concepts for these two characters bear a striking resemblance to American Horror Story’s Finn Wittrock and musician Janelle Monáe.
Despite visual differences, Emerald Knights shared similarities with Lanterns. Both shows would have been set across different time periods—Gardner in the ’80s and original Green Lantern Alan Scott in the ’40s. The primary villain was to be the unstoppable Manhunters rather than Jordan’s arch-rival Sinestro.
While it may seem tempting to assume Knights would have been part of the Arrowverse, Guggenheim clarified that the show was destined for the same place as Lanterns. His pitch, largely written by himself, was commissioned by HBO in 2020.
The series fell apart around 2022 during a turbulent era for Warner Bros. and its DC properties, coinciding with the ‘Snyderverse’ seeking an exit. In 2024, James Gunn—who now runs the entire DCU—picked up the project and spearheaded the Green Lantern series viewers see today.
Lanterns distinguished itself through a notably different tone and more conservative budgetary constraints while still capturing attention with its charismatic rivalry between its two leads. Its loudest critics argued it lacked major fights and pulled from the comics, though Guggenheim noted there’s no shortage of such elements on Disney+.
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