The DC Universe‘s breaking of an actor’s F-bomb record has convinced me that what we can expect from one upcoming release is quite different to what I first anticipated. With the DCU timeline only really just getting started now thanks to the release of 2025’s Superman movie, the franchise is still very much in its infancy.
While this means we’ve a lot of exiciting debuts on the way, it also means the DCU needs its early releases to establish the range of tones it’s aiming for, as DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has delved into the hopes the DCU can balance family-friendly and R-rated releases. Interestingly, it seems one upcoming DCU project may be way more in the latter camp than I would have previously imagined.
The DCU Teases Of Lanterns’ Story Initially Sounded Very Different To Me
While there have been various teases about what to expect from Lanterns, not much has been given away about the show’s actual story. However, the Lanterns show’s synopsis suggested a slightly darker show than some may have been anticipating to begin with, as the description for the show promised:
The series follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
That said, though, the tease of a “dark” story seemed to simply promise a detective adventure, rather than anything more significant for the show. With Lanterns described to be a True Detective style show, and this premise having a naturally more grounded and adult-seeming storyline, it stood to reason to me that the label was simply to denote that this would be more X-Files than Scooby Doo in its execution.
However, this idea was initially somewhat challenged by David Corenswet’s comments on how Superman could work in R-rated DCU projects. While discussing the matter, the actor stated:
I would love to see this Superman in an R-rated project. In a detective, you know, in a thing like Lanterns, where it’s a True Detective feel.
Though this doesn’t explicitly confirm a TV-MA rating for Lanterns, it led to further conversations about what kind of tone people were anticipating, and made the concept of Lanterns being closer to the likes of Peacemaker or Creature Commandos feel more likely. One Lanterns actor’s more recent comments have only further cemented this idea.
Nathan Fillion’s F-Bomb Lanterns Comments Suggest It’s Very Adult In A Different Way
Nathan Fillion’s latest comments about Lanterns paint a different picture for the DCU show. Fillion stated in an interview with ScreenRant’s own Ash Crossan for the Superman premiere that “I dropped more F-bombs on my first day on Lanterns than I had in my entire career put together.“
Fillion clarified “that was in the script” when asked if this was simply on-set or when acting for Lanterns, confirming this was part of Lanterns itself. This seemingly makes it more clear that Lanterns is not just “dark” in the sense that it explores a grounded subject matter and mystery, but also in the sense that it’s simply a more mature overall project.
F-bombs alone don’t solely define a project’s maturity level, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dropping one in 2023 while being PG-13. However, the combination of a considerable number of them being part of the script alongside the darker and more adult-looking subject matter certainly speaks to a more mature overall project, whether Lanterns is strictly R-rated or not.
I’m Really Excited To See How Lanterns Pulls Off Its Teased Tone
With the Green Lanterns having been so direly underused in DC’s live-action history, Lanterns is a real chance for the DCU to change things around, and be general audiences’ first real look at these heroes. Guy Gardner’s Superman debuts offers the chance to begin depicting this faction, but Lanterns will get to center on these characters in a more focal way.
A more genuinely adult DCU series offers the chance to delve into things in a way that’s different to the vast majority of animated appearances of the Green Lanterns, offering something truly fresh. Since many’s last experience of the Green Lanterns was the unsuccessful 2011 movie, making Lanterns different in tone and maturity level also makes sense on this level.
The decision to center Lanterns on Earth also makes sense in this regard, allowing DCU audiences to get to grips with some of the Green Lantern lore in a more grounded setting before unfolding from there.
Given the DCU’s more mature releases – including Creature Commandos, but also retroactively The Suicide Squad – have been positively recieved, there’s already a precedent for the franchise pulling off this type of project. As such, the teases that Lanterns will be adult enough to contain a whole slew of f-bombs with Guy Gardner alone bodes well for the upcoming DCU series.
Indeed, this appears to suggest those involved in Lanterns are able to go all out with depicting the DC Universe in a more mature light, both in terms of its subject matter and the way it’s handled. With so much of the Green Lanterns’ stories exploring space horrors, this has a lot of potential for building the franchise’s future, too.
As Lanterns is seemingly around a year away – based on teases that it will release around the same time as Supergirl – there’s plenty of time for the DC Universe to tease more about the show. Hopefully, the DC series will be able to demonstrate a different side to the superhero group, and one that resonates with audiences for years to come.
