James Gunn's DCU will add its fourth sequel project to its upcoming slate of releases. Gunn and Peter Safran took over as DC Studios co-CEOs in 2022, before unveiling their new franchise in late 2024, kicking off a thrilling new run of movies and TV shows. Nearly three years into Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters' run in theaters and on TV, sequels are already becoming much more common.
According to insider Jeff Sneider (via The InSneider), DC Studios is in development on Lanterns Season 2. Comic writer Christopher Cantwell has reportedly been hired to write and executive-produce the series, with the writers' room reconvening soon. Co-creators Tom King and Damon Lindelof will likely serve only as executive producers, and Chris Mundy will remain the showrunner.
While the show has yet to get the full greenlight, the existence of a writers' room was recently confirmed by Lindelof in an interview with ScreenRant:
"If it’s successful and people love it, there’s a lot of runway to launch into future seasons. But I think Chris Mundy has already started a new writers’ room, figuring out what new stories could be for Lanterns."
With the cogs turning on Lanterns' continuation, this delivers the DCU's fourth official sequel project, following up on the events of Lanterns Season 1, which debuted on HBO Max on August 16.
James Gunn himself has fueled speculation that Lanterns is not over just yet. On Threads, the DC Studios head clarified that the show's finale represented a season finale:
Gunn: "I've seen Lanterns 500 times and even I'm excited for next week's finale."
Q: "SEASON finale, correct?"
Gunn: "Season finale, correct."
As Gunn states that Lanterns Episode 8 is not a series finale (which would signify the end of the show), this season finale confirmation is a good sign that a renewal could be imminent. Lanterns Season 2 joins a growing list of sequels emerging from DC Studios, a positive sign for the burgeoning DCU.
Every Other Confirmed DC Sequel
Peacemaker Season 2
Peacemaker stands in an intriguing place in DC history, as its first season was initially a spin-off of The Suicide Squad and released before James Gunn and Peter Safran took their jobs as DC Studios' co-CEOs. From there, the show was renewed for Season 2 and made canon within the new DCU, meaning that the first live-action DC Studios show was a sequel.
Season 2 takes place after the events of 2025's Superman, starting off with Christopher Smith interviewing with Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) for a spot in the Justice Gang. While Peacemaker's future is unknown after Season 2, he remains an option for future DCU sequels.
Creature Commandos Season 2
In late 2024, DC Studios kicked off the new DC Universe with the release of Creature Commandos on HBO Max. Along with a large group of new characters, this show brought back some of The Suicide Squad's biggest supporting characters, including Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, Sean Gunn's Weasel, and Steve Agee's John Economos.
Creature Commandos is moving into sequel territory with Season 2, continuing the adventures for a new version of Task Force M. This will bring back even more The Suicide Squad characters, including King Shark, and Sean Gunn's G.I. Robot will come back with some major upgrades as well.
Man of Tomorrow
James Gunn will return to the director and writer's chairs on July 9, 2027, with the release of Man of Tomorrow. While Gunn has stopped short of calling the project "Superman 2," this will still be a direct sequel to 2025's Superman and will be influenced by Peacemaker Season 2, bringing back David Corenswet's Superman, Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor for the DCU's fourth theatrical movie.
Along with almost a dozen returning DCU actors, this movie will introduce a terrifying new villain in Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger. Clark Kent and Lex Luthor will have to put aside their differences to stop Brainiac from making their planet part of his personal collection.
Bonus: The People v. Gorilla Grodd
After Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen became one of Superman's most popular characters, he will now take the spotlight in his own solo series on HBO Max titled DC Crime. Serving as a direct sequel to Man of Tomorrow, this show will feature Jimmy Olsen investigating superpowered villains in a documentary-style story set in the greater DC Universe.
Gorilla Grodd (one of the Flash's biggest adversaries) is set to play a major role in this show, seemingly being reimagined as more of a frat boy this time around, played by Jimmy Tatro. Filming is currently underway, with much of the Daily Bugle bullpen cast also set to return.
Bonus: Mr. Terrific
Along with Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen, fans heavily gravitated toward DC newcomer Edi Gathegi through his role as Mr. Terrific. About a year after making his DCU debut, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that DC Studios is developing a solo series for Mr. Terrific, written by Allan Heinberg (The OC, Sex and the City).
This spin-off will act as a direct sequel to Superman, detailing the next steps in Mr. Terrific's solo journey after his work with Superman and the Justice Gang.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
