DC Studios and HBO aren’t just confident in Lanterns—they are already building the future. Industry insider Jeff “The In” Sneider has revealed that Christopher Cantwell has officially signed on as an executive producer and writer for the high-prestige Green Lantern series.
Even though the series hasn’t formally debuted its first season yet, the creative team is reportedly heading back into the writer’s room immediately to pen scripts for Season 2. Bringing Cantwell into a brain trust that already features Damon Lindelof and Tom King is a massive statement of intent. Cantwell has spent years proving he can juggle complex, character-driven television (Halt and Catch Fire) while simultaneously understanding the intricate lore of major comic book universes.
According to Sneider, “HBO took the opportunity to bring in an experienced TV veteran, and Cantwell was the perfect fit, as it just so happens that he’s a prolific comic book writer. Cantwell has worked on such titles as Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Doom, Gold Goblin, The Mask, and Star Wars: Obi-Wan.”
As Sneider explains, Cantwell‘s addition to the creative team of the HBO Max series comes without a second season having been officially given the GREEN light.
Cantwell is coming aboard now because the writer’s room for Lanterns will soon be reconvening despite the lack of official renewal. TV networks often want to have scripts ready so they can start production faster if a show is picked up for a second season, which again, feels somewhat inevitable here — the pending Paramount merger notwithstanding.
This proactive writing cycle is designed to entirely bypass the lengthy multi-year gaps that routinely plague premium HBO dramas. By locking down scripts now, James Gunn and Peter Safran are ensuring that once the pending Paramount/WB corporate merger clears, the production pipeline for the cosmic side of the DCU remains completely uninterrupted.
Per WBD, The series follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
