James Gunn’s Supergirl trailer barely had time to settle before HBO released the first Lanterns footage, and the timing didn’t go unnoticed.
The Lanterns teaser arrived just one day after Gunn debuted the Supergirl trailer, immediately shifting online conversation away from the film and toward HBO’s grounded DC series.
Instead of letting Supergirl dominate the news cycle, the spotlight moved fast — raising questions about what’s really going on behind the scenes at DC.
HBO’s move further reinforces what our insiders have said — and what Deadline has backed up — that Gunn has been relegated to overseeing his “Superman Family Saga” and is no longer shaping the broader DCU.
Lanterns Immediately Pulled Focus From Supergirl
The Supergirl teaser sparked debate almost instantly. The tagline, goofy tone, and visuals divided fans, with criticism spreading across social media within hours. It even has more dislikes on YouTube than the Superman trailer does in six months.
Then HBO stepped in, and it looks like without James Gunn’s knowledge.
The Lanterns teaser reframed the entire DCU conversation overnight, drawing praise from some fans for its serious tone and crime-drama approach (our insiders have said it’s really good).
Comparisons began almost immediately, with many fans pointing out how different the Lanterns footage looked compared to Supergirl and Gunn’s other projects.
The result? Supergirl discourse cooled fast, replaced by talk of Green Lantern.
James Gunn Admitted He Doesn’t Control HBO Scheduling
This lines up with what Gunn himself said back in October during his post-controversy YouTube interviews, where he confirmed what we have been told, that his DC future is in question.
While discussing Lanterns, Gunn openly acknowledged that his marketing experience is primarily with films; he’s involved creatively with TV materials, but scheduling decisions — especially for HBO — aren’t his call, and, more alarming, he doesn’t know and isn’t a part of the scheduling:
“I’ve seen the peek — at least where it is now — but I don’t know when that’s planned to be shown. That’s more on the marketing side of things, I assume.
And with HBO, my expertise there — my knowledge of marketing — is primarily based around films. I have a lot of experience going through the marketing of many films and seeing things that work and things that don’t.
I’m very involved with the actual materials you’re seeing for the television shows, but in terms of the scheduling, I’m not as knowledgeable as I am with film.”
Gunn’s comments raise real questions. The timing of the Lanterns teaser strongly suggests HBO selected its own release window, with little concern for overlapping Gunn’s film marketing.
It’s likely neither Gunn nor HBO had full visibility into when the other project’s teaser would drop, underscoring a lack of coordination. Simply put, they weren’t on the same page.
HBO Is Playing Defense — And Protecting Its Brand
From HBO’s perspective, the move makes sense.
The Supergirl teaser quickly became politically charged and divisive. HBO likely didn’t want Lanterns dragged into that discourse, especially since the series is being positioned as a prestige television event rather than one of Gunn’s goofy comic book spectacles.
By dropping the teaser immediately, HBO reclaimed control of the DC narrative, separated Lanterns from film backlash, and reasserted its identity as grounded, adult-leaning DC content.
The message was clear: Lanterns stands on its own.
HBO also likely doesn’t want a repeat of Peacemaker, where roughly 40% of the audience dropped off during the season. The message from the fans has also been loud and clear.
DC Studios Still Feels Fragmented
If DC Studios were fully unified, this kind of overlap wouldn’t happen. Big releases would be spaced out. Messaging would be coordinated. Projects wouldn’t compete for attention.
Instead, what we’re seeing is that HBO is operating independently, Film and TV marketing are out of sync, and Gunn is acknowledging limits to his authority. Yet, he is the “head” of the studio. That doesn’t point to a tightly run studio. It points to divisions still very much in place.
WB “is vicious”
Also, recall that the head of WB films set the Minecraft sequel only two weeks after Gunn’s Man of Tomorrow. What does that say? It says it all. Our source has said Warner Bros. “is vicious.”
Paramount also went above and beyond James Gunn when it flew out to meet Zach Cregger halfway around the world to hear his DC movie pitch. And Paramount hasn’t even acquired Warner Bros. Discovery (yet?).
What This Really Signals Going Forward
The biggest takeaway isn’t that Lanterns hurt Supergirl — it’s that HBO didn’t hesitate to let it happen.
With Warner Bros. Discovery still eyeing a potential sale and Gunn previously questioning his own future, HBO appears focused on future-proofing DC television regardless of who’s running DC Studios long-term.
Lanterns wasn’t delayed to protect Supergirl. It was deployed to protect HBO.
