2025 may have been the epic launching point for James Gunn’s DCU with the arrival of Superman in theaters and the second season of Peacemaker on HBO Max, but 2026 will be the real test for the series. Cinematic Universes are as brittle as ever in the modern era, and DC Studios’ plans for the year could make or break the future of this nascent shared universe. Later this summer, they’ll release Supergirl, an intergalactic adventure that’s poised to be very different from Superman in tone and aesthetics, but this fall will see the pure horror movie Clayface, putting a Batman villain front and center with no actual Dark Knight Detective to be found.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Between the two movies comes the DCU’s next big television test, the release of Lanterns on HBO. The new series will introduce an entirely new take on the classic comic character Hal Jordan, with TV vet Kyle Chandler and rising star Aaron Pierre taking on the role of Jon Stewart. Though it has generated some controversy, the show seems poised to be a distinct story in the larger DCU. Now, news has come up about its potential future, with a new report revealing that Tom King and Damon Lindelof will seemingly depart the show for Season 2, with a new voice replacing them.
DC’s Lanterns Show Changing Creative Team for Potential Season 2
According to Jeff Sneider’s The InSneider newsletter, though Tom King and Damon Lindelof were key creative figures in developing this new series (and its True Detective meets Green Lantern pitch), the pair will seemingly not return for a second season due to commitments with other projects. As a result, someone else has been brought along, with the outlet reporting that Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell has been tapped to work on the series. Cantwell will reportedly step into the role of executive producer and writer for Lanterns Season 2, that is, assuming that HBO decides to order another season.
Though Tom King and Damon Lindelof not being a major part of a potential second season of Lanterns may seem like bad news to some, the arrival of Cantwell as part of the equation is one that’s worth celebrating. On television, Cantwell has plenty of experience in addition to Halt and Catch Fire. Just this year, he served as showrunner on The Terror: Devil in Silver and previously worked on Prime Video’s adaptation of Paper Girls. It’s his other work that should make comic readers happy, though, as Cantwell has previously had a hand in writing major comics, with runs on Iron Man, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Thanos, Hellcat, and an Eisner-nominated run on Doctor Doom. It’s not often that a comic book TV series can get a writer with experience in television and superhero comics, making this an exciting pairing.
As noted, though, Lanterns hasn’t actually been renewed for Season 2, so at the end of the day, his work may not even see the screen. That said, developing another season well ahead of time has become par for the course for HBO, such as IT: Welcome to Derry, which has been working on Season 2 without an official renewal for months. There are a slew of factors that could change the plans for a potential second season of Lanterns, though, like the reception for the first season or even larger DCU changes on the whole, but planning for the future this early with a creative who knows their way around the genre could prove to be a great plan.
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Ufotable -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics -
Image Courtesy of Prime Video
