Lanterns won't burn bright on HBO Max in early 2026 as DC comic book show suffers release window set-back

• The DCU's Lanterns TV show won't premiere early next year
• HBO boss Casey Bloys confirmed it won't arrive until mid-2026
• Warner Bros. had played down reports that its release had been delayed

Well, it's official: Lanterns, the next HBO TV Original that'll be part of the DC Universe (DCU), won't be released in early 2026 after all.

During a press presentation yesterday (November 20), HBO chief Casey Bloys confirmed the Green Lantern TV show will premiere in mid-2026 instead. The Wrap was one of numerous outlets to first report the news.

Lanterns' launch window delay comes just a few weeks after rumors first emerged that it wouldn't burn bright on HBO and its streaming sibling HBO Max. Indeed, in late October, reports circulated online that Lanterns wouldn't make its HBO Max bow in the first three months of 2026.

Days later, Green Lantern devotees and, more generally, DCU fans, had breathed a sigh of relief when Warner Bros. Discovery indicated the show would air in early 2026. As part of WBD's Q3 2025 shareholders' letter, the entertainment giant suggested the Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler-fronted mystery sci-fi series was still on track to meet its early 2026 release window. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case.

Why Lanterns' release date delay matters

It's unclear why Lanterns won't light up HBO, HBO Max, and other channels and streaming platforms in the first few months of next year. On Reddit pages including r/DCULeaks and r/DC_Cinematic, some fans believe it's down to the sheer number of visual effects (VFX) required to bring the DCU Chapter One TV show to life.

Whatever the reasons, Lanterns' launch window set-back is problematic for DC Studios' co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.

If Lanterns had retained its early 2026 release window, there would've been a steady stream of DCU projects arriving over the next 12 months. Indeed, with Supergirl set to take flight in theaters on June 26, 2026, and the DCU's budget-friendly horror flick Clayface debuting on September 11, 2026, DCU fans would've had something new to enjoy every three months.

Lanterns' disappointing release update not only prevents that from happening, but also means 2026's three new DCU projects will drop within three months of each other. Additionally, the earliest opportunity to release Lanterns will be mid- to late July / early August. After all, DC Studios will want to avoid release date crossovers between its Green Lantern TV series and two of 2026's most anticipated new movies.

I'm all for delaying Lanterns' release if it means the likely VFX-heavy show is as spectacular as I hope it'll be. My excitement for the highly-anticipated series hasn't lessened due to this delay, either.

By the time Supergirl flies into cinemas, though, it'll have been eight months since the last DCU project – Peacemaker season 2 – ended, meaning DC fans, myself included, will have been starved of content for longer than necessary.

For a fledgling cinematic franchise that's stormed out of the gates with back-to-back-to-back critically-acclaimed releases in Superman, Peacemaker 2, and season 1 of Creature Commandos, plus a comic book-inspired universe that wants to continue building momentum, I'm afraid that's not a good look.

Still, while we wait for more news on the DCU TV series to arrive, get the lowdown on everything we know so far about Lanterns.

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