James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as the heads of DC Studios, in a stunning shakeup announced on Monday 9 November as part of Skydance’s quarterly earnings call, less than two years after the DC Universe officially began.
Skydance announced that the pair are stepping down as DC Studios co-CEOs after four years running the label. Former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham takes over as president and chief creative officer on 1 December, reporting to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein.
Tensions behind the exit
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the exit followed tensions with Skydance’s new leadership. Gunn and Safran had reported directly to Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav since their appointment in October 2022, but Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz arrived at their offices on the Warner Bros. lot on 6 November to deliver the news in person, the report said.
Sources pointed to several points of tension, including a clash over structure: Greenstein and Goldberg want all film production consolidated under their leadership, while Gunn and Safran had tight control over DC’s output and were reportedly “too slow” to share plans, details or footage with the new owners. Skydance has not officially explained the change.
What happens next
Gunn and Safran will return to creative work full-time, and both are said to continue producing DC projects. Gunn is already writing another DC project, and he will still finish and release his Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, which is in post-production and due on 9 July 2027. The Batman: Part II is dated for 18 February 2028, according to reports.
Gunn posted a lengthy goodbye on Threads, calling his time at DC “trying”, and later liked a fan’s comment about “never seeing Peacemaker again”, according to reports. David Zaslav, who hired the pair, was reported to have sent Gunn a warm farewell message. Whether Latcham keeps Gunn’s cast and storylines, including David Corenswet’s Superman, or resets them, has not been announced.
The coming weeks will show whether Latcham keeps Gunn’s universe intact or starts again, and fans of Superman, Batman and Peacemaker will be watching every announcement.
