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James Gunn is out as boss of DC Studios
James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as the Co-CEOs of DC Studios, with former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham taking over the superhero division. While reports indicate that the pair are “stepping down,” there is no mistaking that this is likely an enforced change following Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the change takes effect December 1. Latcham will serve as president and chief creative officer under Skydance, which acquired Warner Bros. Discovery.
Under Gunn and Safran’s stewardship, DC Studios has produced five live-action films — Superman, Supergirl, Clayface, Man of Tomorrow, and The Batman: Part II — and TV series such as Lanterns, Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and the upcoming The People v. Gorilla Grodd.
James Gunn and Peter Safran are leaving DC Studios’ top jobs but will remain involved in upcoming projects
The leadership change does not mean James Gunn is walking away from his Superman sequel, as Man of Tomorrow is currently in post-production. Gunn and Safran will also remain producers on The Batman: Part II.’
Man of Tomorrow, which is dated to be released in theaters on July 9, 2027, will feature iconic Superman villain Brainiac on the big screen for the first time and is likely to introduce Adria Arjona as Wonder Woman.
“Oh, boy. What a four years. Thanks to all of you who have supported me and Peter in our time as the heads of DC Studios. When I was a kid growing up in Manchester, Missouri, I used to write and draw my own comics with a mix of DC Comics characters and my own characters. Having full access to these characters to do whatever we wanted has been a dream come true,” Gunn said in a statement.
“I didn’t know if I wanted this job when it was offered to me, but I just couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity. I’m glad I took the job. There have been so many highs along the way – releasing Superman and Clayface, making Peacemaker, reading the scripts to The People Vs, the entire process of Man of Tomorrow, which thus far has been the best filmmaking experience of my life, and numerous other moments,” he continued.
“The highest of the highs have been all the talented and wonderful people I’ve worked with and grown to love: the DC Studios crew, our talented collaborators, our casts and crews, and the boisterous and hilarious fans. And the best part of all has been working with Peter Safran, the smartest and most competent person I know. You’ve been the best partner a person could ask for, and, more so, a truly good friend. But what only the closest people to me have known over the past four years is my time at DC Studios has been trying, to say the least.”
Gunn’s statement did also address the elephant in the room, which is the seemingly endless corporate tinkering that DC and Warner Bros. as a whole have endured in recent years.
“I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that). I’m always a very hard worker, but as a filmmaker I would at least get to take short breaks to unwind, and I’ve stolen even that time from both myself and my loved ones over the past four years (Jenn, I love you and I’m sorry and you don’t need to feel guilty for being the happiest of all people that I’m no longer doing this job). And the thing my ADHD hyperfocus has had the most difficulty with has been dividing my time between projects I’m incredibly passionate about and the ones I’m not so much and all the things I have to do as a studio head.”
Their departure raises questions about the future of the wider slate they developed and if the DC franchise will, once again, be starting from scratch under the guidance of Jeremy Latcham, a former executive at Marvel Studios.
Latcham’s résumé includes Iron Man, The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy, the latter of which brought him together with Gunn. He will oversee DC’s film, television, and animation operations.