Rebel Ridge star Aaron Pierre has a couple of high-profile projects on the horizon. Along with DC Studios' Lanterns, he's signed up to star in Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy's upcoming Star Wars movie, Starfighter.
His role is being kept under wraps, but Pierre is understandably thrilled to be heading into a Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Reflecting on seeing The Phantom Menace as a boy with his uncle while speaking with Esquire, Pierre confirmed that he's a longtime Star Wars fan and that the responsibility of joining this franchise isn't lost on him.
"All I can say is Shawn [Levy, the director] is so very wonderful. He’s so passionate. He cares so very much, as does everyone who is involved in this," he teased. "And we’re really doing our best to bring the very best version of this film to the fans and the supporters, and to those who will be introduced to the world for the first time. We understand the magnitude of this, so we’re very excited."
"I often think about my first experience [of watching Star Wars] and how much of a core memory it was. And then, in addition to thinking about how much of a core memory it is, I think about all of the emotions associated with that core memory. And I only have positive emotions associated with that. And I would love if ours is a core memory for many, and they only have positive emotions and feelings associated with it."
Hyping up what sounds like a Star Wars movie with the potential to be very special for fans, Pierre teased, "I’m confident that we will achieve that, because everyone is so invested and so passionate, and they care. And I really believe that will translate on the screen."
Staying cosmic for a moment, and there's a huge amount of excitement surrounding DC Studios' Lanterns TV series, even if the plan is to introduce a Hal Jordan who is quite a bit older than his comic book counterpart (in the DCU, he's seemingly a Green Lantern Corps veteran, not a recruit).
Hal will be joined in the show by John Stewart, and all signs point to the immensely popular Justice League member being the DCU's main Green Lantern. That's not a bad thing, particularly when he's being brought to life by Pierre. The actor confirmed that he's "recently wrapped Lanterns" ahead of its planned 2026 premiere on HBO.
"It was an enormous shoot. It was of a grand scale in every sense of the word," Pierre teased. "We’re all very proud of this and very excited. It’s been a long time coming for many fans and supporters. And I truly hope with all my heart that we make everybody proud and we make everybody thrilled that we did this, because we’re thrilled and we’re proud."
"One of the things that I love the most about the Lantern Corps is that, yes, they are heroes. Yes, they are celebrated and championed as such, but they embrace their flaws in a way that is beautiful," the actor continued. "That makes them extremely relatable. We would often have this conversation on set. I feel like, knowing what I know and what we’ve done with this season, even if I wasn’t part of it, I would watch it and say, 'I know those guys. In real life, I know those guys.'"
"That’s a really beautiful thing, that there’s an access point to these heroes. There are multiple access points to these heroes, because they are flawed and they embrace their flaws and they don’t shy away from their flaws. They do their best to redeem themselves actively, consciously."
"When you watch it, it almost makes you go, ‘You know what? If I can just figure out where to get my application, I could be in the Green Lantern Corps," Pierre noted. "The training would be intense, and the responsibility would be enormous, but I might be able to just apply for this and have a go.’ There’s just a relatability to it that is beautiful. Hopefully that resonates with everybody."Lanterns won't be the only cosmic story that Pierre is part of in the coming years.
Pierre's star is on the rise (no pun intended), with Lanterns and Star Wars: Starfighter arguably the two biggest projects of his career. The actor was attached to Blade for a time, but parted ways with Marvel Studios after one of its many changes in creative direction.
Lanterns is coming to HBO in the first half of 2026. As for Star Wars: Starfighter, it's set for a May 28, 2027 release.