Say Yellow To Ulrich Thomsen As Sinestro On HBO, DC Studios’s 'Lanterns'
The Danish actor is living in Sinestro now as filming is set to begin shortly
I think this Lantern’s rotten right to the Corps from all the fears and power tripping all brewed up from before. It’s been a bit since we’ve gotten casting news from Lanterns, the DC Studios Green Lantern drama that will air on HBO and bring the new DC Universe to linear television. The Supergirl movie has revved up quite a bit in this time, but the drought is over, as the series was scheduled to begin filming this month in Atlanta, while Supergirl films in Leavesden, so casting news comes in as they physically arrive (or so I assume). Ulrich Thomsen has been cast as Sinestro, supervillain archnemesis of the entire Green Lantern Corps. At least for season 1, it’ll be a recurring role.
Thaal Sinestro was created by John Broome and Gil Kane and first appeared in Green Lantern, Volume 2, #56 from 1961. He is a fallen Green Lantern, sometimes revered previously, having turned rogue for having his abusive teaching techniques exposed. And he got away with it for so long through undeniable charm and manipulative nature. It is that which drives his enduring obsession with his former pupil, Hal Jordan, and he thus becomes the first Yellow Lantern, which is powered by fear, and forms the Sinestro Corps. It is at this stage which he typically appears in animation, though attaining that was the post-credits scene for the 2011 Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds, where the character was played by Mark Strong, who would go on to be the Dr. Sivana of the DCEU. Most animated appearances already have him turned, except Green Lantern: The Animated Series which planted his Green treachery but never got to his betrayal because the series was canceled quite infamously after a single season. He was voiced by Ron Perlman there. It is sounding as if he is starting Lanterns between Corps but that will certainly be found out at a later point.
Thomsen is probably best-known for playing Kai Proctor in the Cinemax series Banshee. The Danish actor recently starred in the critically acclaimed Scandinavian series Trom. His other recurring roles in American television include NBC’s The Blacklist, the Starz drama Counterpart and HBO’s The Young Pope. Thomsen will next be seen in Uwe Boll’s thriller feature Run.
Thomsen’s casting as Sinestro marks the first comics character since the leads themselves, Aaron Pierre as John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan. Lanterns sees Stewart the new recruit being paired with Lantern legend Jordan, described as “two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.” Kelly Macdonald plays Hal’s reported love interest, Sheriff Kerry, who from character description doesn’t seem to start in the dating way at least, Garret Dillahunt plays modern cowboy William Macon, and Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe, John’s reported love interest. Showrunner Chris Mundy, previously of Ozark, and co-writers and executive producers Damon Lindelof and Tom King all developed the show. James Hawes directs the first two episodes and also executive produces with Ron Schmidt. It is looking as if the series is meant to premiere in early 2026, which would place it before Supergirl, which is based on King’s own Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow comic and releasing June 26. It would definitely cover some ground in the front half of the year, as a second film, Clayface emerged for a release just a few weeks after Supergirl on September 11.
Source: Deadline