DC’s Lanterns made quite a splash amid the 2026 TV schedule, as the HBO superhero drama received critical acclaim and strong viewership numbers. Since the show’s eight-episode season wrapped up in early October, fans have been wondering whether a second season might happen. Now, viewers may have even more questions about what’s going on, considering James Gunn is leaving his CEO post at DC Studios. Now, Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy is weighing in on Gunn’s departure and Lanterns’ future.
As the head of DC Studios, Gunn was one of the driving creative forces behind Lanterns, and both he and co-CEO Peter Safran are credited as executive producers. Mundy, of course, worked with the pair to lay out the direction of the series. Mundy was recently interviewed by The Playlist and was directly asked about Gunn’s exit after the Paramount/Warner Bros. merger and whether it could spell the end of his superhero show. Mundy answered honestly but, sadly, his comments don’t inspire much confidence:
We thought everything had settled [after the merger]. I can imagine a world where everyone retreats to their corners, but then, you know, it's a coin flip, 50/50.
Lanterns’ fate hasn’t been officially confirmed, as of this writing. Yet, based on Mundy’s sentiments, it’s hard not to get the feeling that the writing may be on the wall. As someone who enjoyed the show – which also counts Damon Lindelof and Tom King as EPs – I was eager to see another set of episodes. Prior to the Gunn news breaking, it had already been reported that a writers’ room was being assembled for Season 2, but Safran also said the season would only happen if there was a story worthy of being told.
Upcoming DC TV Shows: Full List Of Series In 2026 And Beyond, Including The People Vs. Gorilla Grodd
Mundy and co.’s show predominantly centers on John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), a young man hoping to join the Green Lantern Corps. At the same time, Stewart receives “training” from prickly veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), who fears being replaced by the young man. Ahead of the show’s debut, Gunn and the creative team described it as a grounded adventure in the vein of True Detective. Some fans were displeased, however, not just with the lack of green in early footage but with the eventual revelation of Jordan’s death (which Gunn defended).
It was always intended for John Stewart to become a big part of the DCU moving forward, as the newly minted Green Lantern is returning in Man of Tomorrow, which will be released in 2027. Beyond that, however, plans for the continuity as a whole remain uncertain due to Gunn and Safran being ushered out and Jeremy Latcham entering as CEO by Dec. 1. Based on some of the fan reactions to Gunn’s exit, they’re not confident Lanterns will be back for another season.
Needless to say, I’m not sure Chris Mundy’s remarks will necessarily make fans feel hopeful about the future of the show. Of course, the Green Lantern-centric series is just one piece of a larger puzzle regarding the future of DC Studios. I’ll be eager to see what Latcham and the head honchos at Skydance have to say about their plans and whether they include Pierre’s version of Stewart.
Lanterns is now available to stream in its entirety with an HBO Max subscription. Fans can also head over to that streamer to check out more DC shows, those connected to the DCU and those that are not.
