After The Penguin‘s Max release this year, the new change in the delineation of Max and HBO shows will come into effect from 2025. Most of the Warner Bros. IP films will essentially move under the HBO banner, including one much anticipated DCU series under James Gunn. According to an insider report, Lanterns will now be an HBO feature and other major DCU series projects may also follow suit.
Gunn recently announced the writing team of the series, which included DC writer Tom King, Lost creator Damon Lindelof, and Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy. Lindelof and Mundy are notably associated with several HBO projects, making the latest project even more suitable for the network.
James Gunn’s Lanterns Will Reportedly Get An HBO Release
James Gunn has revealed little about his plans for Lanterns and the cast is yet to be finalized. However, the writing team of the series is promising as hell. The series will feature two Green Lanterns as the protagonists, Hal Jordan and John Stewart. According to the DC chiefs, the two characters will investigate a mystery that plays a role in the bigger DCU picture (via Variety).
Industry insider Jeff Sneider, who appeared on The Hot Mic with John Rocha, reported that the series will now move from Max to HBO. According to Sneider, WB’s prestigious projects were the ones moving to the HBO banner. He shared that Lanterns was a big-budget sci-fi production from the company.
However, Sneider shared that DCU’s animated project Creature Commandos is likely coming out on Max. Sneider shared on The Hot Mic:
“Creature Commandos is not gonna be on HBO Commandos. But Lanterns is a big, expensive sci-fi series. I feel like that is like, you know, this is our Westworld.”
The HBO release of Lanterns is on point, as the kind of thinking and approach on the show would be more aligned with the network. Interestingly, Chris Mundy, one of the writers of the series, worked on HBO’s True Detective. The hiring of Mundy may not be accidental as DC CEO Peter Safran had already shared that Lanterns is a show that is “very much in the vein of True Detective.”
Damon Lindelof, the other writer of the series, has also worked with HBO on projects like The Leftovers and Watchmen. Along with a large scope and a great narrative, Lanterns included talents that HBO had already worked with.
The Penguin Will Remain In Max, Although It Is Fit For HBO Release
HBO and Max Content Head, Casey Bloys, told Variety that the idea of the delineation felt unnecessary after the same methods and approach were used in both HBO and Max shows. Earlier, WB projects were solely released as Max Originals, but the new change will bring back some of the popular shows onto HBO.
It means the upcoming major shows like Harry Potter, It prequel series Welcome to Derry, and Lanterns, will be branded as HBO originals. But shows like The Penguin and Dune: Prophecy will remain as Max Originals. Jeff Sneider shared that The Penguin was already made and its teaser was released with the Max branding. Bloys shared about the Colin Farrell-led series’ release with Variety:
We will start in 2025, although The Penguin would be an obvious fit as an HBO Original. Unfortunately, the process of licensing it internationally has already started.
Bloys also added that while the major shows moved to HBO, Max will continue to develop series that are more traditional TV material. John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill’s medical drama The Pitt and J. J. Abrams’ crime thriller Duster will both remain Max series.
