Lanterns: James Gunn Confirms DCU Show Will Fix a Major Issue Fans Had With the 2011 Movie

DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently shared that the upcoming DC Universe series, Lanterns, will ditch the CGI Green Lantern suits that were abundant in the Ryan Reynolds-led 2011 movie.

Responding to a fan on Threads, Gunn confirmed that Green Lantern, as well as every other human superhero, would have real, non-CGI suits. “I can’t remember ever having a CG suit unless it was on a CG character,” he wrote.

This means that the Green Lanterns in the DCU will not wear CG suits similar to the one worn by Ryan Reynolds’ Hal Jordan in the 2011 box office bomb, Green Lantern, unless they are a completely CG character — like the alien Kilowog, for example.

DC fans should get their first look at the DCU’s Green Lantern suits in the forthcoming movie, Superman: Legacy, which features Nathan Fillion as fan-favorite Green Lantern, Guy Gardner. Following Superman: Legacy, Fillion is expected to return as Guy Gardner in Lanterns, an upcoming Max superhero series that will be part of DC Studios’ Chapter One: Gods & Monsters slate.

Announced in January 2023, Lanterns is described as “a True Detective-type mystery,” following Green Lantern superheroes Hal Jordan and Jon Stewart teaming up to investigate “this ancient horror on Earth.”

The DCU begins with Superman: Legacy

Since November 2022, Gunn and Peter Safran, DC Studios’ other co-CEO, have been working hard at crafting a new DC shared universe that will encompass everything from gaming and animation to movies and television. The DCU will officially begin in 2025 with the release of Superman: Legacy, with the 2024 animated series Creature Commandos serving as an “aperitif” for the franchise.

Other DCU projects in the works include The Authority, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, The Brave and the Bold, Swamp Thing, Waller, Paradise Lost, Booster Gold, Peacemaker Season 2, and an untitled Arkham series.

Lanterns does not yet have a release date window.