According to multiple actors and reports, the Lanterns HBO series will be much more R-rated than previously expected. Lanterns will continue the character arc of Nathan Fillion's Guy Gardner that was set up in Superman, while also introducing audiences to other Green Lanterns like Aaron Pierre's John Stewart and Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan.
The official television rating for Lanterns has not been officially confirmed yet, but based on some information that has been revealed by actors and executives, the 2026 project will absolutely be TV-MA (TV's equivalent to an R-rating). Fillion has nearly singlehandedly all but confirmed that the show will include a lot of mature dialogue, and it seems as though fans are in for a more mature ride than anyone thought.
For instance, in an interview with Variety that was conducted at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Fillion revealed that his character will have more than a foul mouth in Lanterns. Specifically, Fillion stated that he will be "dropping more F-bombs" than he ever has before:
"I will say, in 'Lanterns,' I dropped more F-bombs than I have in my entire career combined."
In a separate interview with ScreenRant, Fillion doubled down on this quote, and even took it a step further. Instead of just saying that he "dropped more F-bombs" in the entire show than he ever had, the actor revealed that he said the word more on his very first day on set than he ever did in his entire career:
"And I'll say this — I dropped more F-bombs on my first day on 'Lanterns' than I had in my entire career put together."
The F-word is generally allowed to be in a PG-13 movie one or two times. If it is used more than that in a film, the MPAA generally bumps its rating up to R. Television is different, and there isn't a specific limit on language, but it operates fairly similarly to films. Therefore, considering Fillion's character will be using the F-word more "than [he has] in [his] entire career combined," that is a pretty good indicator that Lanterns will feature extremely heavy language.
Fans already assumed that Lanterns would be R-rated, but Fillion's comments are enough to make everyone realize that it will be a bit more extreme than anyone thought.
It is also worth noting that Lanterns is not an HBO Max show. Instead, it is simply an HBO production, which makes it even more likely that it will include very mature elements. HBO has historically never held back when it comes to language, gore, dark themes, sex, and nudity, so it is possible that Lanterns could include any of those.
Lanterns has also been compared to shows like True Detective (another HBO title), specifically when it comes to the first season of that series. Specifically, in an interview with Popverse, Green Lantern comics writer Steve Engelhert revealed that Lanterns will be "very dark and weird," just like True Detective Season 1:
"I was told that it’s going to be a lot like the first season of 'True Detective.' Very dark and weird. That is what I’ve been told by Jim Lee, and that’s all I know."
Tonally, if Lanterns is anything like True Detective Season 1, it will be on the extreme side of TV-MA. That installment of True Detective is incredibly dark and even hard to watch at some points, so if Lanterns even brings in a portion of True Detective's darkness, fans are in for a surprise, as no superhero project has ever felt the way True Detective Season 1 did.
The comparisons between True Detective and Lanterns have mostly centered around the two shows having similar tones, as well as both of them featuring a buddy cop dynamic between the two main characters. However, it is still worth noting that True Detective Season 1 is not short on other TV-MA elements like language and nudity, so if Lanterns is anything like it, it will be way more mature than fans thought.
It is also important to remember exactly what Lanterns is about. Yes, it will be a new entry in the DCU and involve superheroes, but it will also be a murder mystery. John Stewart and Hal Jordan will act as detectives who are investigating a strange murder. Since this is HBO and the series will have the tone of True Detective, this murder (and any following murders that take place) will likely be very dark, very gruesome, and not for the faint of heart.
Of course, this is not something new within the DCU. James Gunn's new superhero universe is still just finding its footing, but multiple TV-MA projects have already been released: Creature Commandos and Peacemaker Season 2.
It is also important to remember that the DCU will be releasing two films in 2026, and one of those, Clayface, has already been confirmed to have an R-rating. Another animated series, Mister Miracle, has also been confirmed to be TV-MA.
Therefore, more projects from DC Studios have been given an R-rating or TV-MA than not. However, that is not a big deal, especially in Gunn's eyes. He has already told fans what ratings mean to him and how the DCU will navigate them.
The DCU's Outlook on MPAA Ratings
As with every other element of the DCU, James Gunn has a specific outlook on how the franchise should handle ratings. Most major franchises, such as Marvel Studios and Star Wars, have historically aimed to keep their movies in the PG or PG-13 range. Star Wars has never released a project above PG-13 or TV-14, and Marvel Studios just began branching out into that territory recently with titles like Deadpool & Wolverine and Daredevil: Born Again.
For a long time, superhero movies mainly tried to stay family-friendly, especially under the Disney umbrella. Gunn's new universe is not confined within certain parameters, and he has made one thing extremely clear: whatever the story needs, the story gets.
Specifically, Gunn stated in late 2024 that he "[doesn't] care" about a movie or show's rating. Instead, "it's just about telling a story," and "whatever is worthy of the story" is going to be included, even if it means the project will be given an R-rating:
"It’s not about testing out to see if this thing works. It’s just about telling a story. If a story is going to be R-rated, we’re totally okay with that. If it’s going to be PG, PG-13, or G, I don’t care — whatever is worthy of the story, that’s what we’re going to do."
So, DCU projects aren't going to aim for a certain rating. According to the mastermind behind it all, movies and shows can be rated anything, as long as their stories are the main focus.
