‘Lanterns’ Season 2 Odds Are a Coin Flip After the DC Studios Shakeup, Showrunner Admits

Few DC projects have started as strongly as ‘Lanterns‘. The HBO series, which stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, built momentum week after week and ended its first season as one of the network’s biggest hits.

The finale drew 10.5 million global viewers over its first 3 days, which was the show’s biggest audience yet. Even so, HBO has not officially renewed the series, and the uncertainty around its future was already growing before this week’s leadership upheaval at DC Studios.

Now co-creator and showrunner Chris Mundy has weighed in on what the shakeup could mean for a second season. Speaking to The Playlist at an FYC event in Westwood, California, Mundy said the team believed everything had settled after the merger, and that he can imagine a world where everyone retreats to their corners, but ultimately “it’s a coin flip, 50/50.”

The interviewer asked Mundy directly whether the changes at DC Studios could help the show move forward sooner. The response was far from enthusiastic, reflecting how unexpected the news was for people working inside the DC universe.

The timing matters because Skydance announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-chief executives, with former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham taking over. Gunn and Safran are both executive producers on ‘Lanterns’, so their departure changes the balance of power behind the series just as its future is being decided.

HBO has not granted a greenlight for a second season, though a writers’ room has been quietly assembled to explore ideas. Mundy is expected to be joined by Christopher Cantwell as co-showrunner, while co-creators Damon Lindelof and Tom King are not returning.

A writers’ room is not a commitment to make episodes, and renewals come with a ticking clock, since the talent deals already signed will eventually need to be renegotiated.

Safran had previously said the deciding factor was whether the team could come up with a worthy successor to a beloved first season. He also indicated that news about a potential second season would arrive before the end of the year, a timeline that now looks far less certain.

No evil shall escape their sight. Watch the official trailer now. #Lanterns arrives August 16 on @hbomax. https://t.co/PQdkto9G2R

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) July 24, 2026

Mundy has previously said that, if the show does return, it would likely stay primarily Earth-based rather than introducing a large cast of cosmic Lanterns. That fits the finale, in which John claims Earth as his beat and hands the cosmos to Guy Gardner.

Gunn also confirmed that the finale was a season finale rather than a series finale, which kept fans hopeful that the story would continue. Whether that hope survives under new leadership is the open question.

Latcham will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, the co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group, and he is expected to chart a new plan for DC. Some outlets have speculated that the new direction will focus more on major characters, which could leave a mature, grounded crime drama like ‘Lanterns’ in an awkward position.

Nothing has been confirmed officially, and it is important to remember that these are predictions rather than decisions. Still, the show’s fate now appears to rest on how Latcham views the future of the franchise.

There is at least one piece of good news. Pierre’s John Stewart is already confirmed to appear in Gunn’s ‘Man of Tomorrow’, so the character will reach the big screen regardless of what happens on HBO.

The show also earned strong reviews, including a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes, which gives HBO a solid case for continuing. Between that performance and the early development work, a renewal is far from impossible, even if the odds are murky.

For now, fans are left waiting for a decision that could arrive any day or not at all. The coin-flip comparison may be the most honest assessment anyone close to the series can offer.

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