DC Studios' upcoming Lanterns series has received its share of backlash, and now its showrunner is taking a stand on the show's perceived lack of color. The HBO Max series is a Green Lantern-focused show, starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as two Earth-based Lanterns, Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The Green Lanterns are known for being more fantastical and eccentric than many DC heroes, so the news that Lanterns would be a grounded, gritty mystery thriller came as a surprise to many.
Chris Mundy, a co-creator and showrunner of Lanterns, addressed the backlash to the DC Studios' show in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The showrunner made sure to call out specific criticisms that claimed there wasn't enough green in the HBO series' aesthetic, saying, "It's a Green Lantern show, so there's green."
Mundy explained the reasoning behind the show's more muted color palette, revealing, "It's supposed to be very grounded and real," and adding that they shot on location with minimal green screen. He reassured that fans "will not feel like we've somehow made a brown show of their green comic."
"The aesthetic of the show — it's supposed to be very grounded and real, so we're shooting practically in places. We're not heavily green-screened. It's not like day glow in its presentation of anything.
I think Green Lantern fans will not feel like we've somehow made a brown show of their green comic at all. It's very much 'we're in the world,' and then when we use the constructs, they're what people would expect them to be."
Much of the backlash was in reaction to the reveal of Hal Jordan's super suit, which was notably brown and muted compared to the vibrant green bodysuit he wears in the comics.
Many are also concerned that Lanterns may be too grounded for a show about intergalactic spacefaring heroes, given the lack of many superhero or sci-fi elements in the marketing thus far.
Mundy suggested that the backlash may stem from a lack of understanding of what the show truly is, based on the marketing. The showrunner added that they "could have put out a trailer that was tremendously green," but opted not to. Despite the mixed reactions, Mundy remained confident that "when people see it, it won't be a controversy."
"We could have put out a trailer that was tremendously green," he continues. "So the fact that people are talking about it just means, to me, that they're excited about the show. We have a lot of respect for the source material, otherwise we wouldn't be doing this show. I think when people see it, it won't be a controversy."
Lanterns will be released on HBO Max on August 16, 2026. The series stars Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, and Nathan Fillion. Set across two timelines, Lanterns explores a gripping mystery in a small town, investigated by the Green Lantern veteran Hal Jordan and his trainee John Stewart.
Can Lanterns Regain Fans' Trust?
Mundy's comments are a reassurance that whatever concerns fans may have about Lanterns right now will be alleviated when the show actually airs. The series appears to be following an intentional marketing campaign, perhaps to keep some of its more fantastical elements a surprise for viewers, but just because these moments aren't in trailers doesn't mean they don't exist.
Lanterns is also still quite early in its marketing campaign, with the first official trailer only releasing in early March. There are still several months until Lanterns' August release, and in that time, there's plenty of room for HBO to showcase new footage that addresses fans' concerns about the show's visuals and style.
The DCU has already set up one Green Lantern hero in Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner, who appeared in Superman and used his powers in a very faithful depiction of the comics. With this already established, it seems likely Lanterns will follow a similar trajectory. But with the show trying to sell its True Detective-esque grounded aesthetic, adding moments of green sci-fi wizardry could detract from that.
DC Studios has proven itself quite varied in its genre tastes, with James Gunn and Peter Safran encouraging creatives to experiment with tones and styles rather than conform to a single DCU aesthetic. This will be seen this year in both Lanterns, a buddy-cop, gritty detective show, and Clayface, a gory body horror, both of which are far different from the typical comic book fare but still exist within the canon DCU.
