With House of the Dragon season 3 now finished, HBO is putting a new DC show in that coveted Sunday night slot. The first episode of Lanterns premieres this weekend as an official expansion of James Gunn’s DCU.
Lanterns is a DC original series, which means it will only be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. Here’s when you can expect to see new episodes of the series.
Lanterns Full Episode Release Schedule
New episodes of Lanterns will arrive on Sunday nights at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, with a total of eight episodes in the series. HBO isn’t skipping any weeks, so the first episode will air on August 16 and the finale is set for October 4.
Lanterns isn’t the first DC show to be a part of James Gunn’s universe, but there is a lot riding on it. The DCU officially debuted with an animated series called Creature Commandos, which was followed by Gunn moving Peacemaker season 2 into his new version of the universe. Lanterns marks the first time we’ve gotten a major live-action series focused on one of the most popular DC heroes.
Regardless of whether or not Lanterns is well-received by fans, DC Studios has already started making cuts to key upcoming DC projects. The studio has reportedly pulled the plug on Paradise Lost and Waller, and also rejected pitches for new Catwoman and Poison Ivy TV shows. On the film side of the business, this year’s Supergirl was a complete box office flop. DC fans (and Warner Bros.) will be looking to Lanterns to reignite positive sentiment towards James Gunn’s DCU as a whole.
Upcoming DCU Release Dates
Despite recent cancellations, there are still plenty of upcoming DCU shows and movies already scheduled or in development. Here are all of the upcoming projects with some sort of release date attached:
- Clayface – October 23, 2026
- Man of Tomorrow – July 9, 2027
- Mister Miracle – 2027
- Creature Commandos (Season 2) – Late 2027
- The Batman: Part II – February 18, 2028
- Dynamic Duo – June 30, 2028
