Superman has now hit theaters and is both tearing up the box office and the hearts of audiences who seem to overwhelmingly love James Gunn’s take on the character, which is mercifully great news for the start of the DCU.
But even if this went poorly (it didn’t), the DCU has two major projects lined up for next year, Supergirl and Lanterns, and after the films, you’ll want to see them even more. Spoilers for the movie follow.
The release dates for both of these are welcome news; no years-long waiting for either. James Gunn has now confirmed that Lanterns, the True Detective-esque Green Lantern series starring Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler as John Stewart and Hal Jordan, respectively, will air in “early 2026,” which is likely in the first January to March quarter.
We got our first look at the Green Lantern Corps through Nathan Fillion’s a-hole Guy Gardner, who will appear in a limited capacity in Lanterns, it turns out. Lanterns is MA/R-rated, with Gunn not afraid to immediately go there for the DCU (he already has for Peacemaker and Creature Commandos), and here’s what Fillion said about the project:
“Aaron, he’s got a voice like butter. And he’s statuesque, like he’s carved out of marble. He’s very, very specific about his character and what his character’s going through. His character’s clearly going through something. And then along comes this gregarious, smug son of a bitch in Guy Gardner. And in that show…boy, Guy Gardner. I’ve dropped more F-bombs in that project than I have in, I think, my entire career put together.”
Now we move on to true spoiler territory, where at the very end of Superman, we see a drunk Kara Zor-el, Supergirl, fly into the fortress to pick up her dog, Krypto. It’s our first look at Sirens/House of the Dragon’s Milly Alcock in the role. I’ve heard a few complaints about her being hammered when we first see her, but that’s…comic accurate, based on the story her upcoming movie is supposed to be adapting.
More good news here! This isn’t one of those teases that either takes years to pan out or never does (looking at you Marvel). We also have a very close release date for Supergirl, June 26, 2026, under a year from now. So, both of those projects are going to arrive within the first six months of 2026. Supergirl is not written or directed by James Gunn, but he was allegedly so wild about Ana Nogueira’s screenplay that he’s already having her write the Teen Titans script for that future project.
Just excellent news all around. Supergirl will no doubt feature at least some sort of appearance from Clark, and if it’s anywhere near the quality of this film, that will be stellar. Lanterns sounds awesome, has a great cast, and looks to be an entirely different kind of project, with the DCU attempting to span a wide range of content, tone and themes. Look for both within the year.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
