HBO’s Lanterns Strays from Gunn’s Fantastical DCU Direction

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Last year, movie studios put a lot of effort into showing audiences that the superhero franchise was changing course after a somewhat uneven run of films under Warner Bros.’ DC Extended Universe. James Gunn’s Superman finally gave fans the optimistic and imaginative movie they’d been hoping for.

If the DC Universe wants to achieve the same success as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it needs to build on any positive progress with its 2026 releases, including the Supergirl and Clayface movies. Another DC project coming out this year is a new eight-episode series on HBO Max, and early previews suggest it might repeat some of the same mistakes that held back the previous DC Extended Universe.

DC Has a Complicated History With Dark Reboots

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) started in 2012 with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. This film was notably different in tone from the previous Superman movie. Snyder opted for a darker, more realistic approach. While dark interpretations of Batman have generally been well-received, Man of Steel didn’t resonate with audiences as strongly, earning a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The DC films, aiming for a different tone than the more lighthearted Marvel Cinematic Universe, presented its heroes as larger-than-life figures rather than everyday people. While the DC films have a dedicated fanbase, they weren’t as widely successful as Marvel’s consistently popular movies.

Warner Bros. ultimately shifted away from Zack Snyder’s vision, opting for more lighthearted movies. This started with a revised version of Justice League which, while briefly improving the DC Extended Universe’s performance, ultimately harmed the franchise’s overall reputation.

Lanterns Strips Away the Superhero Element Fans Want to See

The DC Universe is still in its early stages, with everything released so far focusing on fantasy elements. While the DCU needs a variety of different styles to succeed, the trailer for the upcoming Lanterns series suggests it might move away from the superhero action fans are expecting.

Following the disappointing Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds, Warner Bros. has been working for a long time to relaunch the franchise. Their new project, Lanterns, aims to finally deliver a faithful live-action adaptation that fans have been eagerly waiting for.

The trailer for Lanterns emphasizes the mystery surrounding the series – something DC Studios has highlighted from the beginning – while carefully revealing little about its superhero action. We see Hal Jordan and John Stewart as regular people, with just a quick, understated look at a Green Lantern uniform.

Okay, so beyond just fitting into the existing DC universe, this film really reminded me of Logan – that gritty, more adult take on superheroes. It’s exciting to finally see these characters brought to life on screen, especially John Stewart, who’s never had a live-action portrayal before. But, and this is important, we’ve seen this before with things like the early X-Men movies. Trying to be too realistic can sometimes lose what made the original comics so special, and I’m hoping Lanterns avoids that pitfall.

Despite recent challenges, there’s still optimism for the upcoming Lanterns series because of the talented creative team involved, including Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King.

While realistic takes on comic books can work well, not every hero needs a dark and gritty story like the Batman films directed by Zack Snyder – the previous DC Extended Universe ultimately struggled because of this approach. Now, the new DC Universe series is hinting at a fresh take on Green Lantern that could address the issues that plagued the DCEU, but it’s important that it stays true to the original comics.

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2026-03-06 07:11