LANTERNS Season 2 Is Now a Coin Flip After James Gunn’s DC Studios Exit, Says Showrunner

Just as DC fans were waiting to get some good news about Lanterns Season 2, Hollywood decided to blow up the whole damn plan. James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as co-presidents of DC Studios, and suddenly the future of HBO’s hit Green Lantern series isn’t looking nearly as certain.

Fans had been expecting a possible Season 2 renewal announcement before the end of the year, perhaps even around Thanksgiving. Instead, they got a major shakeup at DC Studios, with Jeremy Latchamstepping in to lead the franchise and a whole lot of questions about which projects will survive the transition.

Now, Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy has weighed in on the show's chances of returning, and he isn't exactly promising fans another season. Speaking with The Playlist at an FYC event for the HBO series, Mundy addressed the uncertainty following Gunn and Safran's departure.

“We thought everything had settled [after the merger]. I can imagine a world where everyone retreats to their corners, but then, you know, it’s a coin flip, 50/50.”

Well, that's not exactly the answer fans were hoping for. The frustrating part is that Lanterns appeared to be in a pretty good position before the DC Studios shakeup. The series gained viewers as its first season progressed, and a writers' room had already been assembled over the summer to explore ideas for Season 2.

Unfortunately, Hollywood loves spending money developing projects it might never actually make. Having writers working on potential stories doesn't guarantee HBO will order another season.

There's also the matter of contracts. The deals signed by the show's cast and creative talent won't remain available forever. If DC Studios takes too long to make a decision, those agreements could expire and require fresh negotiations.

That could get particularly expensive with Aaron Pierre, whose career continues to gain momentum. Getting everyone back together becomes a much bigger headache when the people involved have moved on to other projects.

Fortunately, fans haven't seen the last of Pierre's John Stewart. Despite the cliffhanger surrounding Stewart's place in the DC Universe at the end of Lanterns, the character is already confirmed to appear in Gunn's Man of Tomorrow, which is currently in post-production and scheduled to hit theaters in July 2027.

That gives fans at least one more chapter of Stewart's story, regardless of whether HBO moves forward with another season. The bigger problem is that nobody seems to know exactly what Latcham intends to do with the DCU he just inherited.

Gunn and Safran faced a similar mess when they originally took control of DC Studios. They inherited several movies developed under the previous regime, including Aquaman, The Flash,Shazam!, and Batgirl. The first two made it into theaters, while Batgirl was scrapped.

Now Gunn's own DC Universe could find itself dealing with the same situation. Man of Tomorrow appears positioned to move forward, but the future of other projects remains uncertain.

Latcham could decide to preserve the parts of Gunn's DCU that have connected with audiences, and Lanterns has a legitimate argument for sticking around. Its growing viewership and connection to the larger franchise give HBO and DC Studios reasons to keep it alive.

Of course, that assumes the new leadership wants to continue building on what Gunn started rather than taking the franchise in another direction. There have been reports that everything Gunn has been building will be dismantled. If that happens, then chances are very slim that Lanterns will continue.

For now, Mundy's 50/50 assessment makes it clear that even the people responsible for the show don't know what happens next.

It's a ridiculous position for a successful DC series to be in, but that's Hollywood. You can have an audience, a creative team developing new stories, and a major character heading into a blockbuster movie, yet still find yourself waiting for some executive to decide whether your show deserves to exist.

Hopefully, Latcham recognizes what DC already has with Lanterns instead of throwing away another promising project in the name of corporate restructuring.