The DC Universe is not slowing down any time soon, as the next TV show has finally landed a premiere.
After the Lanterns trailer was mysteriously removed from the official socials, HBO and DC Studios have now confirmed that the DCU drama is set to premiere on August 16. At the time of this story’s publication, the first trailer had been put back up by HBO, with the added premiere date, and a different score being used. Check it out below:
The Lanterns show will follow Hal Jordan, played by Kyle Chandler, an established Emerald Knight, as he takes John Stewart, portrayed by Aaron Pierre, under his wing, with the two DC heroes investigating a murder in Nebraska. The HBO drama will be the third DCU show, following the Creature Commandos animated series and Peacemaker season 2, but will be the first DC Studios series to air on the cable channel.
The arrival of a Green Lantern TV show comes years after a long development process with Greg Berlanti, as his series went through two different iterations, prior to it being scrapped altogether and replaced by James Gunn’s project, set in the DCU. Lanterns season 1 will consist of eight episodes, and while a season 2 has yet to be greenlit, there is potential for the HBO drama to continue. In fact, crossovers with the 1-hour drama and the larger franchise are already in motion.
Pierre, who will be the first actor to ever play the beloved character, will be reprising the role of his Green Lantern as part of the Man of Tomorrow movie, with David Corenswet back as Superman. But before he shows up on the big screen, viewers will also be able to see him cross paths with Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner in Lanterns season 1, after he brought him to life in the 2025 installment, while also appearing in the Peacemaker season 2 premiere.
Hal Jordan and John Stewart in Lanterns
ScreenRant also unveiled an exclusive look at Lanterns this week ahead of the show’s fall premiere, with this being the second DCU project for 2026. The franchise will resume this summer with the Supergirl movie, starring Milly Alcock, flying into theaters on June 26, while Clayface is slated to open on October 23.
With the many Green Lanterns in the DCU, Gunn’s superhero reboot is already avoiding one of the biggest mistakes with the DCEU franchise, as the Emerald Knights mythology was not given any focus in the previous universe. As John will be in Man of Tomorrow, which is currently in production, DC Studios is already showing how they want to elevate the Green Lantern Corps beyond the TV show.
HBO’s Lanterns premieres on Sunday, August 16, and will also be available on HBO Max the same day.
Release Date
August, 2026
Network
HBO
Showrunner
Chris Mundy
Aaron Pierre
John Stewart
Kelly Macdonald
Sheriff Kerry