Lanterns just wrapped up its eight-week run on HBO, providing audiences a deeper look into the Green Lantern Corps after Guy Gardner’s initial appearance in Superman last summer. Gardner was merely a supporting character in the series, popping in on the margins while the more traditionally popular John Stewart and Hal Jordan took center stage, but his presence demonstrated just how integral the story was to James Gunn’s recently rebooted DC Universe.
Gunn is reportedly staying in place atop the studio amid the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which means the cinematic universe is likely to continue as planned. So with Superman and Supergirl – as well as Peacemaker Season 2 and Lanterns – in the rear-view mirror, what lies ahead for the future of DC?
When does Clayface come out?
The next DC project set for release is the Clayface movie, starring Tom Rhys Harries as the titular character. It is on the release calendar for October 23, 2026. The film follows Matt Hagen, a fictional actor who is left disfigured after a run-in with a crime boss. He undergoes an experimental procedure that lets him recover his good looks, but the side-effects take a turn towards the horrific. The shape-shifting anti-hero is a Batman villain in the comics.
Mike Flanagan wrote the screenplay for Clayface, and he was initially tabbed to direct as well. The horror filmmaker ultimately had to depart from the project, citing scheduling conflicts, leading Gunn to hire James Watkins as director in his place. It was scheduled to come out on September 11, but Warner Bros. delayed its release earlier this year.
After Clayface, the next DC Universe film on the slate is the sequel to 2025’s Superman, titled Man of Tomorrow. That film is scheduled to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.
Is Green Lantern in Man of Tomorrow?
Speaking of the Superman sequel, both Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart are expected to appear in Man of Tomorrow. Fillion was already in the first film, heading up the Justice Gang alongside Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific. Pierre’s character, on the other hand, is making the leap to the big screen for the first time now that audiences saw his origin in Lanterns.
Lars Eidinger is also joining the cast, stepping in as the villainous Brainiac. That positions Superman’s arch-rival, Lex Luthor, as an ally of sorts in this film. Adria Arjona is set to make her DC universe debut as well, but it remains unknown who she will be playing. There are long-standing rumors that Arjona will portray Wonder Woman.
Will there be a Lanterns Season 2?
Back in May, The InSneider‘s Jeff Sneider reported that HBO hired Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell to co-write a potential Lanterns Season 2 alongside Ozark and True Detective‘s Chris Mundy. That suggests that two of the show’s three creators – Lost and The Leftovers‘ Damon Lindelof and comic book writer Tom King – are not coming back. Lindelof is working on getting another HBO series, The Chain, off the ground. As for King, he is helping to develop an animated Mister Miracle show, so he is staying in the DC Universe.
Just because a writer’s room is in place, however, does not mean that the show is guaranteed to move forward. Pardon the pun, but HBO has yet to greenlight Lanterns Season 2. Still, Gunn and HBO referred to Lanterns Episode 8 as a season finale, rather than a series finale.
What is the next DC Universe TV show?
The People v. Gorilla Grodd started filming in September 2026. It is expected to come out on HBO Max at some point in 2027, likely later in the year. The show is going to take the form of an in-universe true crime docuseries hosted by Daily Planet reporter Jimmy Olsen. Skyler Gisondo made his debut as Olsen in 2025’s Superman. Jimmy Tatro will play Grodd, a superintelligent ape who was wrongfully convicted of killing his father, the king of Gorilla City.
Season 2 of the animated Creature Commandos series is also in development, but its release date is unknown. There is also an animated Blue Beetle series in the works. Xolo Maridueña, who starred in the 2023 Blue Beetle film that predated Gunn’s DCU, is going to voice Jaime Reyes in this show too. Maridueña will also retain his role as Reyes in live-action, as he is reportedly going to appear in Man of Tomorrow as well.
Lanterns FAQs
When did the Lanterns finale come out?
Lanterns Episode 8 premiered at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 4. That was the final episode of Season 1.
Where can I watch Lanterns?
Lanterns is available to stream on HBO Max. All other shows and movies in the newly-rebooted DC Universe are also available on the streaming service if you are looking to catch up, from Creature Commandos and Peacemaker to Superman. The franchise’s latest film, Supergirl, just hit HBO Max on September 10.
Will there be another season of Lanterns?
HBO has not publicly renewed Lanterns for a second season. However, according to a report from Jeff Sneider, the network has hired Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell to produce and write a potential Season 2 alongside Chris Mundy. HBO also marketed Episode 8 as the season finale, rather than the series finale.
When does the next DC project come out?
Now that Lanterns‘ eight-week run on HBO is over, the next DC film or TV show will be Clayface. The horror-adjacent movie about the titular shape-shifting Batman villain will hit theaters on October 23, 2026. After that, Man of Tomorrow is on the books for July 9, 2027. The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a show starring Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olson, is expected to be the only live-action DC Universe TV show in 2027.
