‘Lanterns’ Stunt Coordinator Justin Riemer Breaks Down Episode 2’s Highway Chase

BusinessMedia‘Lanterns’ Stunt Coordinator Justin Riemer Breaks Down Episode 2’s Highway ChaseBySabrina Reed,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Sabrina Reed is a journalist who covers Hollywood and the TV industry.Follow AuthorAug 24, 2026, 03:36pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Screenshot from Lanterns episode 2. Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.HBO MaxLanterns episode 2, “Trust Fall,” sees John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) attempt to escape alien captors on the highway while maintaining custody of Hal’s (Kyle Chandler) lantern and trying to keep his conjured bird alive. The dynamic sequence, which features a close quarters fight in the back of a moving van and a chase into oncoming traffic, is the HBO Max original’s first high stakes action scene and it was choreographed by stunt coordinator and second unit director Justin Riemer.I caught up with Riemer to delve into the challenge of orchestrating the standout moment around a bird and giving the audience our first real look at who John is as a fighter.Screenshot from Lanterns episode 2. Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.HBO MaxJustin Riemer On The Bird In ‘Lanterns’ Episode 2 Highway FightRiemer shared that conceptually Lanterns creators Chris Mundy and Damon Lindelof “had a pretty clear idea of where we started and where we needed to end in the sequence,” his job was to figure out how the scene gets there.He described incorporating John’s bird as a “unique challenge” which led to a lot of discussions about how to convincingly pull it off. For a sequence as propulsive as episode 2’s highway chase, it’s not as simple as knowing a bird is present. They had to consider “how big it would be, how it would move, [and] how it would react to John and the environment.”MORE FOR YOUThat last point encompassed not only the van where the bird starts off cradled in the hands of one of John’s captors but also...