DC's 'Lanterns' Casts 'Matlock' Star Jason Ritter

Contributing Entertainment Writer

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DC's "Lanterns" series has added another star to the roster. "Matlock" regular Jason Ritter has joined the series. Ritter will play Billy Macon, son of William Macon (Garret Dillahunt) who does whatever his father asks. A handsome and charming man, Billy's ego is completely dependent on his family's reputation.

Son to the late John Ritter, Jason has been a regular fixture in the "Matlock" reboot starring Kathy Bates. He voices the titular lead of the Netflix animated series "Captain Fall," recently starred in the anthology series "Accused," and will appear on the upcoming season of Natasha Lyonne's "Poker Face."

jason ritter matlock — Jason Ritter in "Matlock." Jason Ritter in "Matlock." CBS

Ritter is the latest in a growing cast list for DC's "Lanterns." Earlier this week it was announced Nicole Ari Parker ("And Just Like That") had joined the cast as Bernadette. According to the description of the character provided by Variety, Bernadette is "Formidable and tenacious, Bernadette refuses to give up, no matter how insurmountable the odds. At her core, she's a fiercely protective mother who has worked her entire life to ensure that she and her family will not be passed over."

"Lanterns" is based on DC's "Green Lantern" comics, in which there exists a large, intergalactic police force of Green Lanterns, all of whom possess rings granting the bearer the ability to create just about anything from their imagination, along with other neat tricks like translating languages and the power of flight.

In spite of all this cosmic goodness, "Lanterns" takes place not in space, but in the American heartland where Green Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and Jon Stewart (Aaron Pierre) have arrived to solve a murder. It's been described as having a feel closer to "True Detective" than 2011's "Green Lantern."

The rest of the cast of "Lanterns" includes Kelly Macdonald ("No Country for Old Men") as Sheriff Kerry, Poorna Jagannathan ("The Night Of") as Stewart's love interest Zoe, and Ulrich Thomsen ("The Celebration") as Sinestro.

There remain a lot of unknowns about "Lanterns." For example, we don't know why these space cops are so concerned with an Earthbound murder.

We also don't know the status of Ulrich Thomsen's Sinestro. In the comics, Sinestro starts off as a member of the Green Lantern Corp, eventually becoming a villain and starting his own Sinestro Corp. We don't know - if at the time of "Lanterns" - Sinestro is still with the good guys or not.