DCU’s ‘Lanterns’ Gets a Disappointing Release Update

DC Studios’ new series Lanterns is now set to premiere at the end of summer 2026 on HBO and HBO Max. The news came from CEO Casey Bloys during a slate presentation in New York City on Thursday. An exact release date has not been shared yet.

The show follows Green Lantern heroes Hal Jordan and John Stewart, played by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre. The story centers on the two intergalactic cops as they are pulled into a dark murder mystery on Earth, set in the American heartland. Kelly Macdonald and Nathan Fillion also star in the series.

Lanterns received a straight-to-series order in June 2024. The series will have eight episodes and will be part of the DCU’s Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-CEOs of DC Studios, said in early 2025 that the show would likely premiere in early 2026, initially around the same time as the film Supergirl.

However, reporting from The Hollywood Reporter in October clarified that Supergirl would come first, and Lanterns would follow. And today, HBO confirmed the series’ release would be pushed to the end of summer 2026.

The show was developed with a detective-style approach inspired by series like True Detective and Slow Horses. Greg Berlanti first began developing a Green Lantern series back in 2019, but after Gunn and Safran took over DC Studios in 2022, the series was redeveloped.

By mid-2024, the involvement of creators Mundy, Lindelof, and King was confirmed when HBO officially ordered the series. James Hawes, known for Slow Horses, directed the first two episodes, while Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov also directed.

Mundy, King, and Lindelof wrote the pilot script and series bible by May 2024. A full writers’ room was then set up, including Justin Britt-Gibson, Breannah Gibson, and Vanessa Baden.

The writers worked closely with the actors on set, making sure Chandler and Pierre understood their characters fully rather than focusing on any single comic book era. Writing for the series was finished by the start of filming in February, which ran through July in Los Angeles.

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