James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-heads of DC Studios effective December 1, following a corporate restructuring under Skydance after its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Former Marvel Studios senior vice president of production and development Jeremy Latcham will succeed them as president and chief creative officer, while Gunn and Safran return full-time to production roles on ongoing and future DC projects.
The announcement came as a surprise. According to a detailed report from The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn and Safran were reportedly caught off guard by the decision. On Friday, November 6, Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz visited their offices on the Warner Bros. lot and informed them that, despite previous assurances they would remain part of the new Skydance mega-studio, there had been a change of plans. After four years as two of the most visible faces in comic book films and television, they were out.
Sources pointed to several points of tension. Gunn and Safran had previously reported directly to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and their contracts stipulated they would maintain that direct reporting structure under new leadership. They had grown accustomed to having the final word on movies, TV shows, and animation. Under Skydance, however, the expectation was that they would report through Motion Picture Group co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg. Additional friction arose because the DC heads were described by insiders as not forthcoming or slow to share plans, slate details, and footage with the Skydance film executives. These issues, combined with the broader desire for tighter oversight of creative efforts, appear to have prompted the move. The Hollywood Reporter noted that it remains unclear whether Gunn will get the chance to finish any of his larger vision for Superman, let alone the full DC slate he and Safran announced with great fanfare in 2022, adding that “the slate was just barely revving up in the eyes of some.”
Latcham, a longtime Marvel executive who joined the studio in 2004 and worked closely with Kevin Feige, will report to Goldberg and Greenstein. His credits include early MCU films such as Iron Man, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy (on which he collaborated with Gunn), and Spider-Man: Homecoming. In a joint statement, Ellison and Kreiz praised the outgoing leaders for launching “a new era for DC Studios” and building a slate they were proud of. Goldberg and Greenstein added that Latcham “brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase.”
Gunn and Safran, who took over DC Studios in November 2022 and oversaw the launch of the current DC Universe with projects including Superman, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns, and Clayface, will remain involved creatively. They are producing Gunn’s Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow (set for summer 2027) and other titles. In a lengthy social media post, the St. Louis-area native (who grew up in Manchester, Missouri) reflected on the experience and confirmed ongoing work.
“Oh, boy. What a four years,” he wrote. “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. 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.”
He highlighted creative highs, including the making of Superman, Clayface, Peacemaker, and Man of Tomorrow (which he called “the best filmmaking experience of my life”), along with the people involved, especially Safran. At the same time, he acknowledged the demands of the executive role: “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. I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that). … So, yes, I will miss the people around me, and I will miss being the co-caretaker of these great characters, but I’m also incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking.”
He added that he and Safran are not immediately done with DC: “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. And, of course, the characters we set up will live on.”
The transition marks the end of Gunn and Safran’s four-year tenure rebuilding the DC brand. With Man of Tomorrow still ahead and Latcham’s Marvel pedigree bringing a new perspective, the DCU enters its next chapter under tighter corporate structure while retaining key creative voices on active projects. How much of the original slate and vision survives remains an open question as Skydance reshapes the studio.
