A new report suggests that DC has reversed course, removing James Gunn's next project from the DCU's early 2026 slate. Coming off a busy 2025, the DC Studios head is not slowing down for 2026. The Superman director will help usher in the DCU's second year with the upcoming Supergirl and Clayface movies, as well as the hotly anticipated Lanterns HBO Series (which was, at one point, reported to kick off the franchise's year).
That may no longer be the case, however, as indicated by some recent insider information. The host of The Lanterncast podcast shared an email exchange online (via Superman Saga News on X) between him and what seems to be a Hollywood Reporter writer, suggesting that Lanterns has been moved from the early part of the year to sometime later, possibly as late as Summer.
As part of a recent Heat Vision newsletter from The Hollywood Reporter, writers Aaron Couch and Borys Kit slipped in a mention that the recently released Peacemaker Season 2 finale would be "the last of the Gunn-verse we'll see until June's Supergirl:"
"The finale will mark the last of the Gunn-verse we'll see until June's 'Supergirl.' But that doesn't mean folks over at DC Studios are sitting idly by."
The Lanterncast host caught this and decided to ask about whether this meant Lanterns had been pushed. He received a reply saying, "You are quite the eagle-eyed reader. Yes, we expect Lanterns will now come out after Supergirl:"
Unnamed Hollywood Reporter Source: "You are quite the eagle-eyed reader. Yes, we expect Lanterns will now come out after 'Supergirl.'"
Lanterncast: "That's crazy! Are you guys going to put that out publicly at some point?
Unnamed Hollywood Reporter Source: "If you want to mention on your podcast, feel free to refer to what we reported in the newsletter, and if you want, you can say you checked with us to confirm that's what we were saying."
DC Studios head James Gunn, who will serve as executive producer on the Lanterns series, previously mentioned that the Lanterns series was eyeing a Spring 2026 release window, but that no longer appears to be the case.
Given HBO's packed 2026 schedule, featuring the end of It: Welcome to Derry, the Game of Thrones spin-off Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Euphoria Season 3, and Industry Season 4, this could push Lanterns as far out as late summer next year, or potentially even into next fall.
Lanterns will mark the DCU's second live-action TV series, following in the footsteps of Gunn's Peacemaker Season 2. The new super-powered streaming show will follow a pair of Green Lanterns investigating a string of grisly crimes that takes them from the American heartland to the deep recesses of the cosmos.
The new series from former Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof and Low Winter Sun's Chris Mundy is set to star Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler as its heroic duo, Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Why Would Lanterns Get Pushed Out of Early 2026?
Of course, at this point, the potential move of Lanterns to later in the year is merely conjecture, and nothing official has been announced. However, it would make sense for DC Studios to shuffle things at this point for several reasons.
No, this likely has nothing to do with the quality of the series. There have been no signs that the series is in trouble to this point. Production on Lanterns seemingly came to a close in early October, and a turnaround for a big-budget superhero series of only a handful of months feels like a lofty goal.
Given just how packed the HBO schedule is in the first two-thirds of next year, there is no need to rush Lanterns out. Big-name shows like Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (read more about the Game of Thrones spin-off here) and Euphoria can front-load the year, letting Lanterns breathe sometime in the second half.
Lanterns is the only DCU show we know of at this point, so spacing things out between it and the recently completed Peacemaker Season 2 could be for the best.
Plus, the extra time could ensure it looks, feels, and sounds up to the standard set by its big-budget, star-faring adventure branding.
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