Before the DC Universe was set in motion, co-CEO and co-chairman of DC Studios James Gunn released a video breaking down the movies and TV shows set to come in the early years of the franchise. Fast-forward to 2026, and most of those projects have either seen the light of day or unfortunately been cancelled. Now, nobody knows what the future holds after the release of the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, in 2027. Fortunately, the studio has been working behind-the-scenes to plan the next storylines that will take the spotlight.
It has been reported that a Bane and Deathstroke standalone film is close to being greenlit, while rumors of Wonder Woman appearing in Man of Tomorrow ahead of a standalone adventure have become more prominent over the last few months. Now, it seems DC may also be looking to develop a sequel to one of its most successful projects released so far, expanding the saga's cosmic side along the way.
The writers' room for Lanterns season 2 has reportedly begun
Who knew that the small town of Rushville, Nebraska, could be home to a big, intergalactic conspiracy? Audiences worldwide have not been afraid to discover the many surprises in Lanterns, which has just reached its halfway point. While the mystery is far from over and fans have yet to learn how this tale will come to an end, it seems John Stewart will be back on the small screen in the future.
During an interview with ScreenRant, Lanterns co-creator Damon Lindelof revealed that the writers' room for a second season of the HBO Max show has already started:
"If it's successful and people love it, there's a lot of runway to launch into future seasons. But I think Chris Mundy has already started a new writers' room, figuring out what new stories could be for Lanterns."
It isn't a surprise to learn that DC is already exploring what the future holds for these iconic characters. After all, Variety revealed that the opening episode of Lanterns has drawn more than 20 million viewers worldwide, while episode 3 averaged 10 million viewers after three days on air, marking a new high for the show and demonstrating that it has strong week-to-week growth.
To top things off, Lanterns is among the top five releases on HBO Max and the biggest premiere for a DC show on the streaming platform. Furthermore, it's clear that the studio has big plans for John Stewart, who has been confirmed to appear in the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.
During the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, nearly every major hero had multiple installments in their stand-alone saga before joining forces on the big crossovers. The DC Universe seems to be following this same strategy, as both Superman and John Stewart could have a sequel under their belts before a Justice League film comes our way.
DC has found a lot of success on the small screen, with The Penguin winning nine Emmys and Peacemaker season 2 having a 22% increase in views when compared to the season 1 finale (even if the numbers dwindled throughout its run). Lanterns has now kept the streak going, and a potential season 2 would very likely draw in more viewers, especially after John Stewart steals the spotlight on the big screen.
With a bit of luck, it won't be long before DC Studios announces its next wave of projects. But regardless of when that day comes, all signs indicate that a Lanterns 2 announcement will be made then. And for the time being, we still have four more episodes of the beloved series to watch.
Lanterns is now streaming on HBO Max.
Add us as a preferred source on Google