James Gunn set the internet ablaze when he announced his DCU slate on the last day of January 2023. Fast forward 4 months later, now a variety of shows and films in the franchise are gearing up for getting made. Fans know that James Gunn will write as well as direct the first film that will kick off the DCU- Superman: Legacy.
But there are plenty of other subsequent projects that they are excited about. One of these is Lanterns. But the latest leak has revealed a troubling update about the supposed writing team of the upcoming show. It seems like Green Lantern fans need to start worrying about what’s coming up.
New DCU Leak Reveals Controversial Writer Is Penning DCU’s Lanterns
Since Ryan Reynolds’ flop Green Lantern (2011) film, DC fanatics have been begging for another project with the ring and will power-wielding space cops, but nothing has materialized till now. However, many have tried to bring the heroes on-screen again. Famously, Wayne T. Carr was supposed to appear as Green Lantern John Stewart in Zack Snyder’s Justice League in the post-credits scene.
But Warner Bros. scrapped those plans because they didn’t have any intention of furthering the Snyderverse. As such, it would have been misleading to put in a post-credits scene that would essentially go nowhere. This isn’t all. In 2019, there were plans to make a Green Lantern show on HBO Max. Arrowverse producer Greg Berlanti was reportedly attached to it, but that didn’t materialize either.
There’s hope that James Gunn’s Lanterns will finally bring the space heroes on-screen again. During the DCU projects announcement, Gunn said Lanterns was going to be on HBO Max, and will center around Hal Jordan and John Stewart. The director also stated:
“It’s more of a True Detective-type mystery with our two Lanterns. A terrestrial-based mystery that leads into the overall story that we’re telling throughout the different movies and television shows. We find this ancient horror on Earth, and these guys are basically supercops on ‘Precinct Earth.’”
Now, the latest leaks on the DCEU Leaks subreddit have revealed that: “Damon Lindelof will be an executive producer and Tom King will be a writer” on the show. Lindelof was the one who created the highly acclaimed Watchmen show on HBO Max. So fans are ecstatic about that possibility. But they aren’t too happy with the writer attached.
Why Are DCU Fans Unhappy With Tom King Writing Lanterns?
Tom King is an Eisner award-winning writer, who has penned numerous highly acclaimed graphic novels like Superman: Up in the Sky, Batman/Catwoman, Strange Adventures, The Human Target, Heroes in Crisis, and more. In fact, he is the one who also wrote Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is getting a movie adaptation in the DCU.
That’s not all. James Gunn also announced that Tom King will be one of the architects of the DCU. However, with all the adulation and success, has come hatred as well. Many fans of DC comics feel that he writes with a set template and rarely deviates from it. As such, many of his stories feel like they have the same basic structure.
Also, fans aren’t happy that Tom King is in charge of writing the Lanterns because he hasn’t written anything about the Green Lanterns ever before. Additionally, many feel that he makes all of his characters unnecessarily grim and dark. However, the writer is adept at writing mysteries and giving well-known characters a new edge. After all, he is most acclaimed for his Batman stories. As such, there’s hope that he will deliver a hit with the Lanterns.
However, it’s possible that the entire leak is false because James Gunn tweeted this out soon after the leaks got published. He said, “I’m getting barraged with bulls**t DC rumors this morning. I’ll just reiterate the general rule not to believe anything unless it comes from me or Peter. ”
Here’s the full tweet:
I’m getting barraged with bullshit DC rumors this morning. I’ll just reiterate the general rule not to believe anything unless it comes from me or Peter. But, unless it’s especially egregious, I’m going to slow down on calling shit out. (Sorry, I know, it’s one of my favorite…
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 20, 2023
As such, it’s better to wait for an official announcement.
Lanterns has no set release date yet.
Source: DCEU Leaks
