HBO’s Lanterns is one of the most anticipated entries in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe, pairing veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) with rookie recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) for a grounded, mystery-driven detective story set in rural Nebraska. The eight-episode first season, created by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, also stars Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Laura Linney, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, Nathan Fillion, Ulrich Thomsen, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
From this point on, this article focuses entirely on the show’s music: who’s composing it, what’s been confirmed about the score so far, and which songs have appeared in the show’s marketing.
Lanterns Soundtrack Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Series | Lanterns |
| Genre | Superhero mystery drama / neo-western |
| Creators | Chris Mundy (showrunner), Damon Lindelof, Tom King |
| Directors (Season 1) | James Hawes (episodes 1–2), Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, Alik Sakharov |
| Studio | DC Studios, Warner Bros. Television |
| Platform | HBO, HBO Max |
| Premiere Date | August 16, 2026 |
| Episodes | 8 (Season 1) |
| Composer | Stephanie Economou |
| Score Album Label | WaterTower Music (releasing individual score singles digitally; full album not yet confirmed) |
| Total Tracks | 3 singles released as of September 5, 2026 (main theme + 2 character cues); full tracklist pending |
| Runtime | Pending official release |
Lanterns Soundtrack Overview
As of publication, no official score album for Lanterns has been announced or released. The series premiered on HBO and HBO Max on August 16, 2026, and based on how DC Studios and HBO have handled recent original scores, a soundtrack release — if one materializes as a full album — would most likely follow the show’s premiere rather than precede it.
What is confirmed is the composer attached to the project and two pieces of trailer music DC and HBO have used in their marketing campaign. This article will be updated once an official tracklist, label, or release date for the score is confirmed.
Update (September 5, 2026): Lanterns premiered as scheduled on August 16, 2026, and is airing new episodes weekly through October 4, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max. While a full commercial score album still hasn’t been announced, WaterTower Music — the label handling the show’s music — has begun releasing individual score singles digitally alongside the season’s rollout: the main title theme “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night” (released August 17, 2026), followed by the character-theme single “John Stewart / Hal Jordan” (August 23, 2026) and “Trained to Be Sure” (August 30, 2026), all composed by Stephanie Economou and available on Spotify and Apple Music. Confirmed in-episode needle drops have also started surfacing now that episodes are airing — see the updated Licensed Songs section below for a full episode-by-episode breakdown.
Who Composed the Lanterns Soundtrack?
The score for Lanterns is being written by Stephanie Economou, a Grammy-winning American composer and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. Film Music Reporter confirmed her assignment on May 18, 2026, making her only the second composer to score a live-action Green Lantern project, following James Newton Howard’s work on the 2011 Green Lantern film.
Economou began her career as an additional composer under Harry Gregson-Williams, contributing to scores including The Martian, The Zookeeper’s Wife, and the live-action Mulan. She launched her solo composing career with the second season of the Step Up television series in 2019 and has since built a diverse résumé spanning animation, drama, and interactive media — including the Netflix series Jupiter’s Legacy, DreamWorks’ Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, About My Father, and Netflix’s The Chair.
In 2023, Economou won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media for her work on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok, notably as the only woman nominated in the category that year. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music and a master’s in Composition for Visual Media from UCLA, was selected for the 2015 Sundance Institute Composers Lab at Skywalker Ranch and the 2018 NBC/Universal Composers Initiative, and was named a 2021 BAFTA Breakthrough Artist.
Lanterns Official Tracklist
No full official tracklist or album has been released. However, WaterTower Music has confirmed three standalone score singles from Stephanie Economou’s work on the series so far:
- “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night” (Lanterns Theme) — released August 17, 2026, the show’s main title theme.
- “John Stewart / Hal Jordan” — released August 23, 2026, pairing the two Lanterns’ individual character themes.
- “Trained to Be Sure” — released August 30, 2026, continuing the weekly rollout of score singles alongside new episodes.
This section will be updated with a full numbered tracklist and durations if and when a complete score album is confirmed via Film Music Reporter, FMDB, or Apple Music.
Score Highlights
Score highlights cannot yet be fully assessed, since no complete album has been released. The two pieces of music used in Lanterns’ pre-release marketing — detailed below — were trailer needle drops rather than selections from Stephanie Economou’s original score. Now that episodes are airing, three original score singles have been confirmed: the main title theme “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night,” and the character-focused cues “John Stewart / Hal Jordan” and “Trained to Be Sure,” all released digitally through WaterTower Music.
Lanterns Licensed Songs / Needle Drops
No confirmed in-episode needle drops exist yet, since the series has not premiered. However, two licensed tracks have been used in Lanterns’ promotional trailers:
- “State Trooper” (remix) — Bruce Springsteen. Used in the show’s first teaser trailer, released in March 2026. The original track appears on Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska — a fitting choice given the series’ Nebraska-set murder mystery.
- “Besides You in Time” — Nine Inch Nails. Used in the full-length trailer released around Lanterns’ San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 24, 2026.
Both songs were confirmed marketing needle drops ahead of the premiere, not verified selections from the actual episode soundtrack. Now that the show has aired, NME has published a confirmed episode-by-episode breakdown of in-show needle drops:
Confirmed In-Episode Needle Drops
Episode 1 — “Pilot”: “Boogie Shoes” and “Get Down Tonight” (both KC and the Sunshine Band), “Sigue creyendo en mi” (Sandhy & Mandhy), “No Fun” (The Stooges), “Brand New Key” (Melanie), “Coming Home” (Leon Bridges), and “Knievel” (Scud Mountain Boys).
Episode 2 — “Trust Fall”: “Red Eyes” (The War on Drugs) and “Human Condition” (Pretty Sick).
This section will be updated with additional episodes’ needle drops as they are confirmed through the remainder of the season’s weekly rollout, which continues through October 4, 2026.
Stephanie Economou Filmography Table
| Year | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Monkey Kingdom | Documentary (music arranger, under Harry Gregson-Williams) |
| 2019 | Step Up (Season 2) | TV series (solo composing debut) |
| 2022 | Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok | Video game (Grammy-winning score) |
| 2022 | Jupiter’s Legacy | Netflix series |
| 2023 | About My Father | Film |
| 2023 | Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken | DreamWorks animated film |
| 2023 | My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 | Film |
| 2023 | The Chair | Netflix series |
| 2025 | Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie | Animated film |
| 2026 | Lanterns | HBO series (upcoming) |
Where to Listen to the Lanterns Soundtrack?
The series itself will stream exclusively on HBO Max starting August 16, 2026, with linear broadcast on HBO. No score album has been released yet, so there is currently nowhere to stream the Lanterns soundtrack on services like Spotify or Apple Music. Once a soundtrack is officially released, it will typically become available across major digital platforms, and this article will be updated with direct links at that time.
FAQs
Who composed the Lanterns soundtrack?
Stephanie Economou, a Grammy-winning composer known for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, is scoring the series.
When does Lanterns premiere?
Lanterns premieres August 16, 2026, on HBO and HBO Max.
How many episodes does Lanterns Season 1 have?
Season 1 consists of eight episodes.
Is there an official Lanterns soundtrack album?
A full album has not been announced yet, but WaterTower Music has been releasing individual score singles by Stephanie Economou digitally as the season airs, including the main theme “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night” and the character cues “John Stewart / Hal Jordan” and “Trained to Be Sure.”
What songs have appeared in the Lanterns trailers?
A remix of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” appeared in the teaser trailer, and Nine Inch Nails’ “Besides You in Time” appeared in the full trailer shown around San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
Has a Green Lantern project been scored before?
Yes — James Newton Howard scored the 2011 live-action Green Lantern film, making Stephanie Economou the second composer to score a live-action Green Lantern project.
Will Lanterns get a second season?
Yes, a second season was announced on May 19, 2026, ahead of the first season’s premiere.
Have any confirmed needle drops appeared inside Lanterns episodes?
Yes. Once the series began airing, confirmed in-episode songs included “Boogie Shoes” and “Get Down Tonight” by KC and the Sunshine Band and “No Fun” by The Stooges in the pilot, and “Red Eyes” by The War on Drugs in episode two, among others.