Lanterns has only just begun its first season, but the team behind HBO’s new DC series is already working on what could come next. Showrunner Chris Mundy has confirmed that he is developing a potential second season with Halt and Catch Fire co-creator Christopher Cantwell, even though HBO has not officially renewed the series.
The update comes after Lanterns launched with a strong audience response. The series premiered with 9.3 million global viewers across its first three days, making it DC Studios’ biggest series debut on HBO Max.
The first season follows Hal Jordan and John Stewart as they investigate a murder mystery in Nebraska, introducing a more grounded side of the new DC Universe.
Mundy’s comments make clear that a Season 2 plan is already taking shape, but fans should not mistake the writing process for a renewal. The creative team is preparing a potential story while waiting to find out whether HBO wants to move forward.
Related: Lanterns’ Dual Timeline Explained: How the 2016 and 2026 Stories Connect
Chris Mundy Is Already Breaking The Season 2 Story
Mundy told The Hollywood Reporter that he and Cantwell have already spent around six weeks developing the potential second season.
“We’re just in the breaking-story stages,” Mundy said. “We’re about six weeks into laying out a season, and then we’ll talk to folks about it really soon.”
There are no completed scripts yet. The pair are working out the larger story and structure first, essentially building a season on spec before HBO decides whether to give it an official green light.
Mundy acknowledged that the process comes with a strange balancing act because the writers have to treat the potential season seriously without knowing whether it will ultimately be made.
“You have to go forward with total confidence as if it’s going to happen,” he explained. “If it doesn’t happen, you also have to not be heartbroken. You have to just say, ‘Okay, that’s the way it is.’ It’s this bizarre trick or dance that you have to do for yourself. You’ve got to care so much, and then you’ve got to not be crushed if it doesn’t happen. It’s hard.”
The potential second season would also have a different creative setup behind the scenes. Damon Lindelof and Tom King, who worked with Mundy on the first season, are moving on to their own projects, leaving Cantwell as Mundy’s collaborator for the next chapter.
Related: Who Killed Hal Jordan? Breaking Down the Suspects in Lanterns
Mundy also explained that the team has not been working under a mandate to force the series into a particular future DC storyline. James Gunn was largely occupied with Superman during the early development of Lanterns, with Mundy saying Gunn provided high-level notes while giving the writers considerable freedom.
The immediate question is whether HBO will ultimately approve the second season. Mundy believes the answer depends on whether audiences want to spend more time with Hal and John.
“We feel good that we told the story in season one well,” Mundy said. “The question is whether [season two] is a story people are interested in. We’ll see. I hope so. If that’s the case, then we’ll get to do another one. We’ll tell it in a slightly different way, so that it feels fresh, with characters you know and care about.”
Lanterns Season 2 has not received a green light from HBO, despite Mundy and Cantwell already working on the story. The decision will depend largely on how audiences respond to the first season and whether HBO sees enough interest to bring Hal Jordan and John Stewart back for another case.