Jason Ritter Joins HBO And DC Studios’s 'Lanterns' As Billy Macon
Dipper Pines is headed to the new DC Universe
Take a trip. Find a lantern ring. It’s out there, somewhere in the woods, waiting. Gravity Falls star Jason Ritter has joined HBO and DC Studios’s Green Lantern series Lanterns, playing Billy Macon. And no that’s not a typo or a recast/retool.
Billy Macon is described as “a good-looking charmer who does his father’s bidding. Capitalizing on his family’s reputation, he clings to his small-town ego and has everything to lose.” That father is William Macon, played by Garret Dillahunt, a “self-righteous and conspiracy-minded and ruthlessly ambitious man who hides his darker side behind a charming facade” who doesn’t originate from the comics. Neither of them do. And while Ritter is only 16 years younger than Dillahunt, the latter has experience playing a dad with that age difference to his son.
HBO DC 'Lanterns' Series Gets Chance With Garret Dillahunt In Recurring Role
When there’s hope, there’s willpower. Seems my suspicion that more casting would come out rather quickly for Lanterns, HBO’s upcoming Green Lantern series part of DC Studios’s new DC Universe, was correct. The show has already cast a second supporting player, just two days after adding Kelly Macdonald as Sheriff Kerry, and it is Garret Dillahunt saying …
It was originally reported by The InSneider that Ritter was playing the husband of Sheriff Kerry, played by Kelly Macdonald, 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”. She is also a show-original character who was reported to be Hal’s love interest, which would sure be complicated by her already being married. Whether both (being a Macon that’s also Kerry’s husband) are true could be possible but the latter characterization was entirely absent from the Billy Macon reports. Sure would make the “close-knit town” stuff a bit more apparent.
Ritter currently stars as Julian with Kathy Bates in CBS’s Matlock, which has been renewed for next season. He’ll be guest starring in the anthology series Poker Face starring Natasha Lyonne on Peacock. He also recently had a starring episode on Fox’s anthology series Accused. In addition to starring as Dipper Pines on the Disney animated series Gravity Falls, Ritter’s series regular history includes Joan of Arcadia, The Event, Another Period, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, and Raising Dion. He’s also well known for his Emmy-winning recurring role as Mark Cyr on NBC’s Parenthood.
Lanterns stars Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan, respectively the new recruit being paired with a Lantern legend, as they are “two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” The rest of the cast also includes Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe, John’s reported love interest, while Nicole Ari Parker plays his mother Bernadette and Ulrich Thomsen plays the villain Sinestro. Showrunner Chris Mundy, previously of Ozark, and co-writers and executive producers Lindelof and Tom King all developed the show. James Hawes directs the first two episodes and also executive produces with Ron Schmidt. Other directors on the eight-episode first season include Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov, while the costume designer is Cynthia Ann Summers. Lanterns is currently in production and premieres in early 2026 on HBO, as DC Studios’s first series to be born within its new DC Universe.
'Legally Blonde' Prequel Series 'Elle' Nabs Lexi Minetree With June Diane Raphael As Mom
What, like casting’s hard? Amazon MGM Studios and Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine have cast their first two leads for Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel series that continues the franchise that began with two Witherspoon-starring films as underestimated lawyer Elle Woods. Lexi Minetree will play Woods here, while June Diane Raphael will play her mother.
Source: Deadline