James Gunn has confirmed Lanterns will premiere August 16 on HBO Max, clearing up one part of the confusion surrounding the DCU series.
Gunn shared a new image from the show featuring a Green Lantern ring near a glowing lantern, along with the caption: “Beware my power, Green Lantern’s light. #Lanterns premieres August 16 on @hbomax.”
Worth a mention is that the image finally features Green Lantern color and VFX, which has been a big complaint from fans regarding the footage and images that have been released to date.
The post also confirms the same date that recently appeared in a new version of the Lanterns trailer that surfaced online, only to get yanked for the second time.
Beware my power, Green Lantern's light. #Lanterns premieres August 16 on @hbomax. pic.twitter.com/6p0ZFiEIlD
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) April 30, 2026
Still no official trailer
While the release date is now official, the strange trailer situation continues.
A new Lanterns trailer recently surfaced online through a DCU fan account on X. That version included the August 16 release date and appeared to swap out the remix of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” used in the earlier teaser for what sounded more like a piece of the show’s score.
According to Reddit users, the updated trailer was briefly posted on DC’s official YouTube channel before being pulled again.
The YouTube link now shows the video as private.
Original Lanterns trailer was previously taken down
We previously first reported that the first Lanterns trailer was removed or made private on official HBO Max, DC, and Warner Bros. YouTube channels.
Adding to the confusion, Gunn’s own social media post featuring the original trailer was not taken down, even after the trailer disappeared from official studio and platform channels.
HBO Max has not explained the trailer issue
At this point, Gunn and HBO Max still have not publicly explained why the Lanterns trailer was pulled, why the updated version briefly appeared, or when fans can expect the trailer to be officially re-released.
Cosmic Book News reached out to HBO Max PR for clarification on the trailer situation, including whether the music was changed due to a rights issue and whether the updated trailer will return to official channels.
As of publication, HBO Max has not responded.
