We don’t really need to pretend that Lanterns season 2 isn’t happening, despite no official word from HBO Max yet. The writers’ room has been in motion for a while, and the creators are already talking about it openly. But one of those creators has said something somewhat unsettling that does not bode well for when we might see Lanterns actually return, with a likely very far-off season 2 release date.

Obviously, this is the streaming industry we’re talking about, and long gaps between seasons are not unexpected, but this goes a bit further than that. Here’s Lanterns showrunner Chris Mundy on the Ringer-Verse podcast when asked the main question of whether season 2 will resurrect Hal Jordan or not:

“I have absolutely no idea…there’s a million what ifs…the good thing about fiction…it wasn’t like ‘we’ve got a great idea for S2 and 3, so let’s layer in’…you take a look at what you made.. then you go from there.”

It is somewhat unsettling that, heading into season 2, which features an almost entirely new writing staff, even if Mundy is still showrunner, that season 2 was not planned out ahead of time, at least not answering major questions like “Is Hal Jordan coming back?” which is a key plot point. The key plot point, many would argue, as Kyle Chandler is already considered one of the best-cast actors in the DCU, if not the best. And nothing was decided about whether he would be brought back heading into season 2? The show was always meant to have more seasons, so it’s not like season 2 was some unexpected surprise where they didn’t think they’d have to answer this question.

This, and the overall idea that they’re close to starting from scratch on new storylines (he teases that maybe they’ll do Kilowog), would indicate that we are further away from release than we would have previously guessed.

This can be laid on top of the existing math , which already did not bode well for the project:

  • The writers’ room for Lanterns season 1 started around April 2024, according to James Gunn.
  • Lanterns season 1 arrived in August 2026, which would make that a two-year, four-month gap between writing start and the season premiere.
  • We know the writers’ room is active, but there is no real indication that the timeline for scripts would be shortened, considering it appears they didn’t even have many ideas for season 2 heading into this writing period. Or at least not answering major questions like if Hal would return or what other Lanterns could show up.
  • So if we stick to that gap, we are talking about December 2028 for another season of Lanterns , just under a year and a half after John Stewart shows up in some capacity in July 2027’s Man of Tomorrow Superman sequel.

I just don’t love hearing that the showrunner, after the season 1 finale aired, still has “no idea” if Hal Jordan will return in season 2 despite the writers’ room already in motion. I suppose he may just not be telling the truth to hide the fact he is returning, but I very much doubt that. There are plenty of ways to just dodge the question, and this isn’t doing that.

Hopefully we don’t have to wait two-and-a-half years for Lanterns season 2, but indications aren’t good that it would be much shorter than that.

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