Chris Mundy, showrunner of HBO Max's new series "Lanterns," says James Gunn largely stayed out of the writers' room during development, reinforcing DC Studios' promise that filmmakers would retain creative independence within the shared universe. This matters because "Lanterns," which grounds the Green Lantern Corps mythology in a character-driven murder-mystery drama, marks the clearest example yet of a non-Gunn DCU project carving out its own distinct voice, following earlier scepticism that Craig Gillespie's "Supergirl" felt too close to Gunn's own sensibilities.

The eight-episode first season, co-created by Mundy with Damon Lindelof and Tom King, follows Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre's trainee John Stewart investigating the murder of four undercover aliens in a small Nebraska town, with a pilot twist revealing Jordan's own death at the same location a decade later, in 2026. Mundy said Gunn, occupied with "Superman" at the time, offered only high-level input and did not require the show to set up Stewart's appearance in the "Man of Tomorrow" film. Although a second season has not been officially greenlit, Mundy is already developing potential storylines with "Halt and Catch Fire" co-creator Christopher Cantwell, while Lindelof and King focus on their own new series.