Lanterns finally premieres on HBO this Sunday, 16 August, at the end of a nearly seven-year journey to the screen — and, per The Ankler, two more shows from the DC Studios slate did not survive the trip.
The eight-episode series follows veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and rookie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a murder in rural Nebraska that connects to shape-shifting aliens called Manhunters. It is the first live-action series developed under James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios, from showrunner Chris Mundy (Ozark) with Damon Lindelof (Watchmen) and comics writer Tom King. Ulrich Thomsen plays Sinestro; Nathan Fillion reprises his Superman role as Guy Gardner.
How Lanterns reached HBO after seven years
The show arriving on Sunday is not the one originally commissioned. Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Seth Grahame-Smith wrote an entire first season — eight scripts — of a space-set Green Lantern series before HBO Max balked at the budget. The notes were consistent, Guggenheim tells The Ankler:
“We kept getting these notes saying they want True Detective with power rings. Ultimately, that wasn’t the show that we were interested in giving them.”
Mundy, Lindelof and King were hired in May 2024 to make the grounded version that finally screens this weekend. Lanterns was among the first projects announced in January 2023, when Gunn and Safran laid out their DCU plan; it replaced a Berlanti Green Lantern show that had been in development since 2019.
Two DC shows die, one looks for a new writer
The Ankler’s Lesley Goldberg reports that Waller — the Amanda Waller series that was to star Viola Davis — and Paradise Lost, a Wonder Woman prequel set on Themyscira, are no longer in development. Booster Gold survives, though it is searching for a new writer after David Jenkins’ version was shelved in July. HBO has not renewed Lanterns, but a co-showrunner has already been hired for a potential second season; two writers are out.
Supergirl stumbled at the box office in June, and The Ankler notes Lanterns is among the most valuable properties in the delayed Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger. The New York Times review, published early, reads the series as a buddy-cop drama that keeps its feet on the ground; an international buyer with early access called it “so good”, per Deadline. The full review embargo lifts on Friday.
In the UAE, Lanterns premieres on OSN+ on 17 August, a day after the US debut, with subscriptions from AED 48.99 a month. Our where-to-watch guide has everything else.
Where can I watch Lanterns in the UAE?
On OSN+, which carries HBO’s series in the region. Lanterns premieres there on 17 August — a day after the US debut — with plans from AED 48.99 a month.
Which two DC shows were cancelled?
Per The Ankler, Waller — the Amanda Waller series that was to star Viola Davis — and Paradise Lost, a Wonder Woman prequel set on Themyscira, are no longer in development. Booster Gold is still being developed but is looking for a new writer after David Jenkins’ version was shelved in July.
Will Lanterns get a second season?
HBO has not renewed it yet, but a co-showrunner has already been hired for a potential second season, per The Ankler. Two writers have left the project.
