DC Studios appears to have already set its sights on a second season for one of its upcoming DCU television series, even before the show's first season debut. James Gunn's expanding DCU has been building momentum from both film and television, with Superman launching the cinematic side in 2025 and Peacemaker Season 2 and Creature Commandos helping fill in the greater story on HBO Max. Now, early confidence in another unaired series suggests the studio has high hopes for what's still to come on the small screen.
According to industry insider Jeff Sneider, comic book, TV, and film writer Christopher Cantwell has signed on as an executive producer and writer for Lanterns. This is seen as a strong signal that a Season 2 renewal for Lanterns is all but inevitable, even ahead of its August 16 Season 1 debut.
Cantwell himself seemingly confirmed the news on Bluesky, "Yes, I'm joining LANTERNS Season 2."
As Sneider also noted, it's important to keep in mind that while a second season has not yet been officially greenlit, the writers' room will soon be reconvening. It's common practice for streaming and TV networks to move forward on scripts in advance so production can ramp up quickly once a renewal is made official.
It seems like Cantwell is joining the early stages of Lanterns Season 2 and will be on the ground floor for whatever the next Green Lantern DCU story will be, likely starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.
Cantwell is no stranger to comic book material either, having written major Marvel titles such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Doctor Doom, as well as Star Wars: Obi-Wan.
Well before Season 2 officially begins production, Gunn and DC Studios are hoping fans cling to Season 1, which many online spectators have been dubious of the early footage's lack of bright green colors.
HBO Max recently released a new trailer for Lanterns that makes a clear statement to fans: this is, without question, a Green Lantern show. The trailer leans into Hal Jordan's ring-powered abilities, from conjuring protective shields and soaring in flight to even using the ring for a comedic counterfeit money gag.
This footage showed the balance Lanterns will aim to strike between the series' grounded murder-mystery premise and the superhero spectacle audiences expect.
With its premiere just months away, DC Studios appears to be making a deliberate push to win over both casual viewers and die-hard Green Lantern fans alike, reassuring them that Lanterns will honor the source material. If everything goes smoothly, given the potential of the Green Lantern source material, this new series could be a DC and HBO hit for many years to come.
Is Lanterns the Next Big HBO Show?
With HBO having built a reputation for turning beloved IP into prestige, big-budget television events from Game of Thrones to The Last of Us, the question worth asking is whether Lanterns could be the network's next crown jewel..
The foundation is certainly there: three Green Lanterns are already confirmed for Season 1 in Hal Jordan, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), the dual-timeline structure opens the door to sprawling, multi-era storytelling, and the Green Lantern mythology is deep enough to sustain years of television.
The intrigue only deepens with the widely circulated theory that Hal Jordan may not survive Season 1, potentially passing the torch to Pierre's John Stewart, a transition that gains credibility given Pierre's confirmed role in the 2027 DCU film Man of Tomorrow.
Should that theory prove true, Lanterns could evolve into something larger than a single hero's story, with fan-favorite Lanterns like Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, and Alan Scott all waiting in the wings as future seasons could weave them into the DCU.
While The Penguin has its own devoted following, Lanterns carries the kind of cosmic scale and potential that could make it HBO's next epic franchise.
