After the dual successes of Superman and Peacemaker Season 2 this year, DC Studios has no plans to slow down. There are multiple DC Universe projects on deck for next year for both the big and small screens. On the film side, audiences are looking forward to Supergirl and Clayface, a unique one-two punch that represents the variety of storytelling possible in the DCU. On TV, the main attraction will be Lanterns, a True Detective-inspired series about Green Lantern Corp. members Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre working together to solve a murder. Fans are eager to see Lanterns, hoping it can give these characters justice following the panned 2011 movie. But it sounds like they’re going to be in for a bit of a wait.
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During a slate presentation (via The Wrap), HBO executive Casey Bloys shared that Lanterns will debut at the end of the summer next year. An exact date was not revealed. The Wrap just noted that that information “will be shared at a later date.” This represents a change from the initial plans for Lanterns, which at one point was targeting an early 2026 premiere.
Should Fans Be Concerned About the Lanterns Delay?
Earlier this month, it was reported that the expectation was that Lanterns would arrive after Supergirl (which debuts in June 2026), so this latest update serves as official confirmation straight from HBO. At first glance, fans might be concerned that the series has been pushed back several months. It could be interpreted as a sign that something is wrong with the show, but for now, people shouldn’t be too worried. It’s not as if Lanterns has been delayed until 2027 or taken off the release schedule entirely. It’s simply releasing a little later than initially planned, and there could be good reasons for that.
Though Lanterns is being billed as a grounded mystery story, it’s still a superhero TV show. Hal and John’s Green Lantern powers will be featured in some capacity, so this delay gives the visual effects team additional time to iron out their shots and make everything look as great as it can. There were many reasons why the Green Lantern movie fell short, but people still remember its questionable use of CGI. Lanterns is an opportunity to reintroduce this corner of DC to viewers, and it’s important for the series to make a memorable first impression. It would be a shame if the VFX were rushed for the sake of meeting an early release date.
Pushing Lanterns back to late summer could also be HBO Max’s way of spacing out its premier original programming so there’s no risk of series overshadowing one another. Early 2026 is when notable projects like The Pitt Season 2, the Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and Euphoria Season 3 are set to be released. There’s no real need for HBO to launch Lanterns during this stretch as well, especially since A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will command the attention of genre fans. Plus, late summer is when Peacemaker Season 2 enjoyed its successful run, so perhaps HBO sees that window as the ideal time to launch new DC shows.
The reasoning for why the DCU release schedule shifted around probably won’t become clear until fans get a chance to see all of next year’s projects. While each movie and show is designed to stand on its own, everything is still part of a shared universe telling an overarching narrative. James Gunn has hinted that Lanterns is “really important in setting up things,” so it might make more sense for it to come out after Supergirl — similar to how Peacemaker Season 2 built on threads established in Superman. It’s never good news when a highly anticipated project is delayed, but in the case of Lanterns, it isn’t necessarily bad either.
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