Could HBO’s coming Lanterns replacement show Marvel and DC how noir is done?

Noir finds another opening

Noir television has drawn strong reviews in recent years, but Spider-Noir’s future ended after its first season. The show earned a 92% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and featured Nicolas Cage, yet it was canceled.

A shake-up at DC involving James Gunn has also raised doubts about whether Lanterns will return for a second season. Against that backdrop, HBO’s returning True Detective offers noir viewers another series to follow.

Cage joins True Detective

True Detective’s first season combined a Lovecraftian atmosphere with performances by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Later seasons tried to recapture that mood, with mixed results. Cage is set to star in the fifth season alongside Antonio Banderas. His taste for unconventional characters could suit the show’s dark tone and bring some of Spider-Noir’s eccentric energy to the anthology.

Superhero stories turned noir

Spider-Noir moved Spider-Man into the gritty streets and smoky bars of 1930s New York, with an option to watch the series in black and white. Its writing, genre blend and Cage’s hardboiled detective were praised, though the show’s departure from Spider-Man’s familiar style may not have appealed to every fan.

Lanterns also reworked a superhero world as a dark crime thriller, drawing influence from True Detective. It received a 92% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics. True Detective’s fifth season now gives HBO a chance to continue exploring noir, even if Lanterns does not get a second season.