'Lanterns' Writers Room for a Second Season Revealed, but HBO Hasn't Said Yes

HBO’s ‘Lanterns‘ has quickly become one of the biggest DC stories of the year. The series premiered on August 16 and stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, two Green Lanterns investigating a murder in Nebraska. Episode 3 reportedly drew 10 million viewers worldwide, and the show is being described as the platform’s highest-rated DC series.

That success has fueled a steady stream of questions about what comes next. The eight-episode run wraps with its finale on October 4, and ‘Lanterns’ is currently the only DC Universe series on the air. Yet HBO has not officially renewed it, and the network’s boss Casey Bloys has said no second season is in development.

The next piece of the puzzle has now arrived. According to an exclusive from Nexus Point News, the full writing staff for a potential second season has been identified. DC Film News shared the lineup on X: Christopher Cantwell, Vanessa Baden Kelly, Zack Whedon, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Nakkiah Lui.

The group is working under showrunner Chris Mundy. Co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King are not joining him for the next round, which means Baden Kelly is the only first-season writer on the new staff besides Mundy. The names are not new hires, but this is the first time they have been reported.

Cantwell is the co-creator of AMC’s ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ and an executive producer on Prime Video’s ‘Paper Girls’. He joined ‘Lanterns’ as a writer and executive producer in May, and he confirmed the news himself on Bluesky. Reports have since described him as co-showrunner alongside Mundy, though earlier accounts conflicted on that title.

Whedon reunites with Cantwell after working as a writer and producer across all four seasons of ‘Halt and Catch Fire’, and his credits also include ‘Fringe’ and ‘Deadwood’. Baden Kelly is a co-executive producer who wrote ‘Trust Fall’ and ‘OutKast’, the John Stewart origin episode that became one of the most debated hours of the first season. Hinds and Lui round out the room.

It is tempting to treat the lineup as a green light, but the context is more cautious. Nexus Point News says plainly that a staffed room does not guarantee a second season. The Ankler reported that a renewal is not imminent, with HBO waiting on pitch pages from the Mundy and Cantwell team.

According to that report, HBO executives want to continue the show but have not said when they will decide. It is unknown when the room will present its pitches. Cosmic Book News notes that Bloys has also said that nothing is in development at HBO for this show or other DCU projects.

Still, the creative team is behaving as if the answer will be yes. Mundy has said that planning for a second season is already underway, and Lindelof has said that a new writers room is figuring out stories for the future. Lindelof also noted that the first season was crafted with a clear beginning, middle and end, so any continuation would be a new chapter rather than a cliffhanger payoff.

The trailer for the final episode of 'LANTERNS' has arrived!

Premieres October 4 on HBO Max. pic.twitter.com/N9zTdjrQnY
— DC Film News (@DCFilmNews) September 28, 2026

Fans got extra fuel this week when James Gunn posted on Threads ahead of the finale. When a follower asked whether it would be a season finale, he replied that it would be. Some fans took that as confirmation of a renewal, but the reply doesn’t amount to an official announcement.

The wider DCU also gives the show some runway. Pierre is expected to reprise John Stewart in the upcoming Superman sequel ‘Man of Tomorrow’, which will introduce the alien villain Brainiac. That crossover could shape the direction of any new episodes.

For now, the situation is a waiting game. The room is assembled, the creative leadership is in place, and the ratings look strong, but the decision is still with HBO. Fans will likely get a clearer picture once the finale airs and the network sees the pitches.