New Report Sheds Light On James Gunn’s DC Firing; Was Already Planning To Release ‘Superman’ Movies Every Two Years

James Gunn reportedly had more than one more Superman movie in mind before he and Peter Safran lost their jobs running DC Studios. A new report says the filmmaker was already writing a third installment in a planned trilogy.

The detail adds another layer to Monday’s leadership shakeup. Gunn’s next Superman film, Man of Tomorrow, is still on the way, but the longer-term vision he was developing now faces a change at the top.

James Gunn was reportedly writing a third Superman movie before his DC Studios ouster

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn’s plan involved a Superman film every two years, with the possibility of eventually expanding into a Justice League team-up.

Those are reported creative plans, rather than an announced release schedule. The leadership change does not establish that a third Superman movie has been canceled, or that Gunn’s existing characters will be replaced.

THR also reportedly describes a dispute over the studio’s chain of command. Gunn and Safran had reported directly to Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav. Under the new ownership, the question was whether DC would retain that level of independence or answer to Skydance’s film leadership.

Gunn says he is still writing another DC project

In his farewell statement, Gunn made clear that leaving the executive job does not mean he is immediately finished with the characters. He said he and Safran had been engaged on another DC project he is writing, although he did not identify it.

That distinction matters: his statement does not confirm that the unnamed project is the third Superman film described in the reporting.

“We have Man of Tomorrow out this summer. And we’ve just been engaged on another DC project which I’m writing, and we’ll see where it goes after that,” Gunn wrote.

He also described himself as “incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking,” explaining that the corporate responsibilities had taken time away from both his creative work and his family.

For Superman fans, the unresolved issue is what comes after Man of Tomorrow. Gunn had apparently been thinking beyond the sequel. Whether that larger plan moves forward under new DC leadership remains to be seen.