Is DC’s Hit Superhero Show Already In Big Trouble?

When James Gunn’s Superman dropped last summer, it was the first time in over a decade that it felt like DC Comics and Warner Bros. had a stable trajectory for building out another superhero universe. That universe has since expanded, albeit slowly and somewhat shakily — the follow-up to Superman, this year’s Supergirl, was a critical and commercial disappointment plagued by behind-the-scenes troubles, while a bewildering release schedule has prioritized lesser-known characters over Justice League mainstays like Batman and Wonder Woman. However, with three films (including Clayface) and TV shows like Creature Commandos and Peacemaker, it seemed like Gunn was working towards an end goal, even if audiences weren’t privy to what it was.

But even the best-laid plans can collapse in the face of history’s biggest Hollywood studio merger. Only a few months removed from the announcement that the Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery merger is officially happening, James Gunn and Peter Safran have been ousted from their roles as co-CEOs and co-chairmen of DC Studios, and although there’s no confirmation yet, it’s reasonable to assume that their planned release schedule is out the window as well. And while that’s a disastrous outcome for all the unreleased projects on the horizon, it’s particularly crushing for fans of a certain recent prestige TV release.

Variety has published a post-mortem on Gunn’s DC Studios tenure, revealing that Lanterns has yet to be renewed for a second season. It’s an unfortunate update, considering Lanterns not only broke HBO Max viewership records with its debut and season finale, but also because Chris Cantwell, the co-creator of Halt and Catch Fire, was recently brought on as a writer, producer, and co-showrunner after the departure of Damon Lindelof and Tom King. Lanterns seemed to be a major success for HBO Max and DC Studios, and yet, according to a DC Studios insider who spoke to Variety, the show “isn’t quite capturing the zeitgeist” the way Paramount Skydance is looking for.

While we know for sure that Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart will show up at least one more time, in 2027’s Man of Tomorrow, it’s frustrating to know that the character’s first live-action depiction might be rebooted before he gets a chance to really shine. The Warner Bros. Discovery/Paramount Skydance merger is unprecedented territory, with much still up in the air, but it’s frustrating to see the company throw a wrench into things just as DC was finally getting a rhythm going.

Lanterns is streaming on HBO Max.