The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, and there's a new shared universe in town courtesy of DC co-CEO James Gunn. In addition to the highly anticipated upcoming DC movies, there are also some shows that will expand the first slate of projects, titled Gods and Monsters. Chief among them is Lanterns, but fans have been bummed that we haven't seen any of the cosmic powers in the footage so far. Although the EP has invoked the name of two HBO legacy shows when explaining his approach.
What we know about Lanterns has been limited, but fans were shocked when the first trailer didn't actually show Hal Jordan and John Stewart using their powers. Writer/producer Chris Mundy was asked by ComicBook about crafting a non-conventional superhero show, where he said:
It was less challenging than it was just exciting. Our take was that we have this incredibly rich mythology within the Green Lantern canon, and we have this incredibly rich history of Sunday night HBO shows—everything from The Sopranos to Game of Thrones and in between.
Those are some of HBO's biggest titles, so the pressure is now on for Lanterns to deliver the same quality as both Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. Those shows both became cultural sensations, and I'm intrigued to see how the forthcoming DC show might end up resembling them, rather than a traditional comic book project.
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There was backlash to Lantern's first trailer when its protagonists failed to suit up, use their power rings, or create any of the Corps.' signature constructs. This was especially true since the Green Lanterns have had such a storied history in the media. Ryan Reynolds' infamous movie is the only time we've seen Green Lanterns on the big screen in live-action. Later in the same interview, Mundy spoke more about his approach to the series, offering:
The fun of it was to try to create a real, layered drama that dealt with who these characters are as human beings while still staying true to the spirit of what makes the comics so special. We wanted it to be accessible for anyone who doesn’t know the canon but, at the same time, satisfying for people who know the lore in minute detail. So, yes, it was challenging, but only in the way that the most fun things are.
This sounds like a delicate balance, and it should be fascinating to see how Lanterns ultimately walks that line. Comic book fans are super passionate, and aren't shy about making their voices known. So smart money says Chris Mundy will know one way or another how folks feel.
While the Lanterns footage has been divisive so far, we'll have to see if the story ends up being as epic as Game of Thrones. That show was a global sensation, and found a way to make an emotionally-driven story out of an established IP. Hopefully the forthcoming DC series can reach those heights.
All will be revealed when Lanterns premieres August 16th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. Hopefully we get more footage soon, including some of the heroes using their abilities.
