Lanterns arrives on HBO this Sunday, but will it deliver the take on the Green Lantern Corps that fans have been hoping for since 2011's failed effort? Early trailers have drawn mixed reactions, with it clear that the show will deliver a very grounded take on Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
Chris Mundy is Lanterns' showrunner, with Damon Lindelof and Tom King both joining him as the creative driving force behind the DCU-set reboot. However, if Season 2 happens, we can expect some big changes behind the scenes.
We've known for a while now that Christopher Cantwell has been hired as a co-showrunner, but The Ankler reports that Season 2 will not feature input from Lindelof. King is also stepping back as he shifts focus to Mister Miracle.
"Sources also say a writers' room for season two of Lanterns has been hard at work for more than a month, even though HBO hasn’t handed out an official renewal," the site explains. "Lindelof will not return for season two, per sources — he initially signed on for a single season and is now focused on his HBO limited series thriller, The Chain."
"[Tom] King, who is working on DC’s animated Mister Miracle series, is also not part of the writers' room for season two but remains involved. To fill the void, Halt and Catch Fire creator Chris Cantwell was hired in May to serve as a co-showrunner alongside [Chris] Mundy."
While this does sound a little troubling, it's worth noting that the article also explains that Season 1 "is plotted in a way where it has a beginning, middle and end, and the mystery is resolved." Lanterns also plays out in a way that sets the stage for Man of Tomorrow, likely meaning it ends with John becoming a full-fledged superhero.
In terms of cosmic action, Lanterns Season 1 isn't expected to spend much time in outer space. Apparently, HBO pushed for the True Detective-inspired concept to bring the budget down. Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim had plans for a space-set epic, but as the latter explains, "We kept getting these notes saying they want True Detective with power rings."
This implies that Lanterns wasn't Gunn's vision; instead, he was giving HBO what they wanted, likely in exchange for the exposure of having a DC Studios series on the premium cable network (both seasons of Peacemaker were relegated to HBO Max, as was Creature Commandos).
Talking of Peacemaker, the series is not currently set to return for Season 3. There's no word on why; we can only assume that it wasn't a huge hit on the streamer, despite being one of Gunn's passion projects. What that means for Christopher Smith and Salvation is hard to say.
Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
Alongside Kyle Chander and Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Nicole Ari Parker, Jason Ritter, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones round out the cast.
Lanterns is set to premiere on HBO on August 16.