The pressure was on Lanterns from the moment it was described as inspired by True Detective. James Gunn’s new take on the DC Universe would be a prestige buddy-cop drama echoing the now-iconic first season of True Detective, which also premiered on HBO. It was a big claim: True Detective (Season 1 in particular) is heralded as one of the best TV shows of the century.
But when True Detective Season 2 started back at square one, it famously couldn’t maintain its momentum. Now that Lanterns Season 1 has ended and largely wrapped up its mystery, could it pull off what its predecessor couldn’t? Here’s everything we know about the future of Lanterns.
Damon Lindelof isn’t returning to Lanterns, but he revealed that the show has started development on Season 2.
Ray Tamarra/Shutterstock
Is Lanterns Renewed For Season 2?
While Lanterns isn’t technically renewed for Season 2 yet, that hasn’t stopped its creative team from planning ahead. Damon Lindelof recently spoke with Collider about the future of Lanterns, even though he left the series after Season 1. He confirmed that Season 2 is in early development, with a writers’ room already assembled.
Lindelof also spoke about the decision to keep Hal as the victim of the murder mystery throughout the series, instead of miraculously reviving him. “The worst possible schmuck-baity thing that we could do is show you a pilot where Hal Jordan was definitively dead, and then try to walk it back and say, ‘Oh, he was a clone’ or ‘He’s only mostly dead’ in the Princess Bride vernacular.”
Kyle Chandler ended Season 1 dead, but anything could happen in a possible Season 2.
HBO
What Will Happen In Lanterns Season 2?
While Lindelof was forthcoming about work being done on Season 2, he was also honest about how little he’s involved. “I swear to you, as I look at you in the eye on Wednesday this 30th of September, I do not know anything about the creative, and I wouldn’t want to hamstring those writers in any way for what future storytelling mechanisms they could indulge in,” he said.
That said, this is the DC Universe, and anyone can be brought back from the dead via a parallel universe — something Peacemaker Season 2 explored at length. It’s also possible the series will try True Detective’s anthological approach, but it’s hard to see how that would be possible without moving the entire story into another era.
And even if Lanterns Season 2 doesn’t ultimately get greenlit, its legacy is already secure: John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) will appear in the upcoming Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, so whatever happens, this story isn’t over yet.
