James Gunn is tirelessly working on building his new DCU from scratch. He has announced several projects that will be a part of the first phase of his DC universe. The CEO of DC Studios is leading the charge by helming the first theatrical feature of his new universe Superman in 2025. Before that, he has Creature Commandoes that will premiere this year on Max.
Among the announced projects, The Lanterns series grabbed eyeballs as it was described as a True Detective-style murder mystery featuring Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The series has been moved from Max to HBO and a straight-to-series order has been given. However, some fans are concerned about its setting.
James Gunn’s Lanterns Series Going Ahead At HBO, But Fans Have Some Concerns
James Gunn has a lot on his hands as he is creating his brand new DC universe featuring a whole new cast and interconnected narrative across films and TV. He is currently shooting for Superman and Peacemaker season 2 simultaneously and has other talented filmmakers working on expanding his universe.
His announced Lanterns series has now received an 8-episode order at HBO (via Deadline). The logline of the series teases that 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”. Chris Mundy will serve as the showrunner while Damon Lindelof and Tom King will be scripting the show.
While the premise is intriguing, some fans are confused with the setting being on Earth rather than in space, as most of the greatest Green Lantern adventures in the comics are set outside Earth (Green Lanterns: Secret Origins, Green Lantern: Earth One, etc). Here are some of the reactions,
Earth based? and co written by Tom King? Im out pic.twitter.com/hKzdczhJhi
— Jared (@ComicsLeagueJT) June 25, 2024
Bro, its a tv series, i would leave the space adventure to animation or live action movies, but as series it would cost too much
— Jak4l (@Cst419) June 25, 2024
Always America… but claim protectors of earth pic.twitter.com/7Axg60qH8B
— mystique (@mystic_k9) June 25, 2024
So it is Earth Bound. I thought it was, then I thought I read it would be in space. A TV-MA Lantern show set on Earth doesn’t sound right
— M (@MarkRedbeliever) June 25, 2024
I don't really understand why you'd create a green lantern show entirely set on earth tbh https://t.co/LDAfKfocMG
— Alice (@AerithsSeat) June 25, 2024
While the concerns are understandable, the writers and Gunn must have a logical reason to set the story on Earth (it may also be to fit its narrative with other DCU projects). As one fan has also pointed out, doing an eight-hour show purely set in space will be very expensive, and it is better to make the series grounded and gritty with its Earth-setting.
HBO’s Lanterns Will Be A Foundational Part of James Gunn’s DCU
Since James Gunn announced a Lanterns series in 2023, there was no further update about it for quite some time. Now, the project has gained significant momentum and is greenlit by HBO. In a statement, Gunn expressed his excitement about the project and working on it along with Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King.
The DC Studios head further teased the project by claiming that Hal Jordan and John Stewart are two of DC’s most compelling characters and Lanterns will be a foundational part of his unified DCU. Gunn said (The Hollywood Reporter),
We’re thrilled to bring this seminal DC title to HBO with Chris, Damon, and Tom at the helm. John Stewart and Hal Jordan are two of DC’s most compelling characters, and Lanterns brings them to life in an original detective story that is a foundational part of the unified DCU we’re launching next summer with Superman.
The team involved in the series is exciting and it will be interesting what they come up with for the show. The casting process has not begun for the series, but one expects that Gunn and his team will announce the cast sometime this year.
Meanwhile, Gunn is hard at work with Superman which will hit theatres on July 11, 2025.
