HBO will premiere “Lanterns” this Sunday and, unlike various live-action superhero series, this DC Studios title isn’t designed as a one-off – rather, it could be an ongoing show should it prove popular.
HBO isn’t waiting around either way, it seems. Appearing at the show’s premiere, series co-creator Damon Lindelof tells Screen Rant that while the first season is designed as a self-contained mystery, there’s ample room to continue.
Either way, he also confirmed reports that showrunner Chris Mundy has already begun assembling a writers’ room to explore potential stories for a second season despite HBO not having greenlit it yet:
“We came into this with the sort of attitude that this was a mystery with a beginning, middle, and end. We had a story to tell about characters that we really cared about, and we would want the audience to kind of get to know them over the course of the first season and really invest in them, and then that story ended. If it’s successful and people love it, there’s a lot of runway to launch into future seasons. But I think Chris Mundy has already started a new writers’ room, figuring out what new stories could be for ‘Lanterns.’”
Previously, it was reported that “Halt and Catch Fire” co-creator Christopher Cantwell had been brought aboard as co-showrunner alongside Mundy.
Lindelof is not expected to return for the second season while Tom King is also stepping away due to his commitments to DC Studios’ animated “Mister Miracle”. He did say if there’s anyone he could get involved in “Lanterns” for a second season, he’d love to see his “Watchmen” star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II cast in a role.
“Lanterns” premieres August 16 on HBO and HBO Max.
