HBO's DCU Lanterns Sets Its Release Window — Here's When It Arrives
After a week of delay rumors, Warner Bros. Discovery has finally set a release window for HBO’s DCU series Lanterns — the first official timing update amid chatter it could arrive after Supergirl hits theaters.
We finally have a real update on HBO's Lanterns after a week of hand-wringing over delay rumors. Short version: it is still coming sooner than the chatter suggested, and it is locked to a window.
Release window: set, not slipping
Warner Bros. Discovery told shareholders that Lanterns is scheduled to premiere in early 2026 on HBO and Max. That timing also shuts down last week's rumor that the show would get bumped until after the Supergirl movie hits theaters. Not happening.
Lanterns is planned as DC Studios' third DCU series within Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.
What this thing actually is
The setup pairs recruit John Stewart with veteran Hal Jordan. They are, yes, intergalactic cops, but the case here is pointedly earthbound: a murder in the American heartland that pulls them into a darker, more grounded mystery. On paper, that is a fun pivot for two guys who usually fly through space punching cosmic entities.
Showrunner Chris Mundy says the story unfolds across 'a couple of different time periods'.
Cast so far
- Aaron Pierre as John Stewart
- Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan
- Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner (he shows up first in James Gunn's Superman movie)
- Ulrich Thomsen as Sinestro
- Kelly Macdonald as Kerry
- Garret Dillahunt as William Macon
- Poorna Jagannathan as Zoe
- Chris Coy as Waylon Sanders
- Nicole Ari Parker as Bernadette
- Jasmine Cephas Jones as young Bernadette
- Sherman Augustus as John Sr.
- J. Alphonse Nicholson as a young John Sr.
- Jason Ritter as Billy Macon
The team behind it
Chris Mundy (True Detective: Night Country, Ozark) is running the show and executive producing alongside Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, Watchmen) and Tom King (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow). Lindelof and King are also co-writing the series.
Directors lined up include James Hawes, Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov.
The quick read
Early 2026 is the target. The show is part of DC Studios' new continuity, it leans into a crime-mystery angle with John Stewart and Hal Jordan at the center, and the cast is stacked. Also worth noting: with characters like Bernadette and John Sr. appearing in both present-day and younger versions, Mundy's note about multiple time periods tracks with the casting.