Forget Lanterns, Aaron Pierre's Relentless Thriller That's A Netflix Hit Should've Been His Big Franchise
Padraig is a Senior Features Writer and has been part of Screen Rant since 2017. Padraig is a writer, editor and retired Game of Thrones extra who has been writing about movies and TV online for over a decade. He has also written for The Irish Times, Den Of Geek, Little White Lies and many more. It's pronounced Paw-rick, BTW.
Lanterns might be the show that makes Aaron Pierre the star he deserves to be, but his breakout in a certain Netflix action thriller should have been his first franchise. With Lanterns season one ending in suitably dramatic fashion, fans will have to wait a little while to see if the DC show will be returning for another series.
Given how much of a hit it has been, though, the odds of Lanterns season two happening feels strong. Regardless, Pierre himself won't be short of work. Not only will he reappear as John Stewart in James Gunn's upcoming DC movie Man of Tomorrow, he will also have a major role alongside Ryan Gosling in Star Wars: Starfighter.
Pierre's career truly took off thanks to 2024's Rebel Ridge, where he replaced the original lead, John Boyega, who abruptly exited production after a month of filming. Watching the final movie, it's hard to imagine anybody but Pierre in the lead. His performance was both intensely charismatic and highly physical, with reviews aptly describing the thriller as First Blood meets Reacher.
Before Lanterns, Rebel Ridge Proved Aaron Pierre Was A Great Leading Man
In addition to its critical acclaim (it stands at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes), Rebel Ridge also netted over 400 million hours viewed on Netflix (via FlixPatrol). So yes, it's fair to say Pierre was hot stuff after the film debuted, leading directly to his casting in Lanterns.
On paper, Rebel Ridge reads like it could have been a 1990s Jean-Claude Van Damme actioner, where an ex-Marine finds corruption in a small town and kicks his way toward justice. While that sounds like B-movie fun, director Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room) makes a more restrained, slow-burn thriller from the premise, with Pierre's Terry always trying to do the right thing under impossible circumstances.
Jeremy Saulnier next film is the mysterious A24 thriller Slayground.
While Terry might be a stoic figure, there's clearly a well of emotion going on beneath the surface, which Pierre portrays beautifully. His only concern is saving the life of his cousin before he's transferred to prison, but he has to wade through a corrupt police department and overwhelming bureaucracy to do so. When he finally explodes into violence, it feels earned on both a story and character level.
Rebel Ridge Should've Had Multiple Sequels
Rebel Ridge's ending doesn't have any sequel teases or hooks, and it appears Terry's quest to bring down the corrupt department has succeeded. Still, it does feel like the character could have gone on to more misadventures. In the same way the Jack Reacher books saw the titular drifter protagonist getting pulled into different kinds of mysteries and genres, Rebel Ridge 2 could have seen Terry dragged into another story, possibly revolving around his past as a Marine.
It's no secret the first film had a troubled production and was shut down twice (once due to COVID, and again following Boyega's exit), so maybe Saulnier and Netflix collectively felt a sequel was more trouble than it was worth. That's a genuine shame, considering Terry is such a great character for Pierre, and that Rebel Ridge is one of the streamer's most acclaimed original movies.
The lack of movement on a sequel is compounded by the fact Netflix has been surprisingly lax in building movie franchises. Outside the Extraction saga, its attempts to push ahead with follow-ups to major streaming hits like Red Notice or Birdbox have yielded poor results. The success of Lanterns may lead Netflix and Saulnier to a renewed conversation about more Rebel Ridge, but it currently seems like there's no drive to do one.
Again, with Pierre's success on Lanterns, the star won't be lacking for work in the years ahead. If Rebel Ridge 2 suddenly dropped on Netflix now, it would no doubt do major numbers, but with each year that passes, awareness of the original will slip away. Netflix has the chance to build a reliable, Reacher-style film series around Pierre right now, so hopefully they will recognize that soon before the chance slips away.
Source: FlixPatrol
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Rebel Ridge
7/10
- Release Date
- September 6, 2024
- Runtime
- 131 Minutes
-
Aaron Pierre
Terry Richmond
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Officer Evan Marston
Former Marine Terry Richmond travels to Shelby Springs to post bail for his cousin, only to find his savings unjustly seized by a corrupt local police force. With the help of court clerk Summer McBride, Terry uncovers a deep-seated conspiracy and vows to bring justice to the town.
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Lanterns
- Release Date
- August 16, 2026
- Network
- HBO
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Kyle Chandler
Hal Jordan
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Aaron Pierre
John Stewart
Lanterns is a 2026 DC superhero detective series centered on veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart. The two intergalactic peacekeepers investigate a murder in Nebraska, drawing them into a dark Earth-based mystery with deeper implications for both men.
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