James Gunn, Peter Safran Leave DC After a Short, Lived Era That Fell Less Than Super

Leadership changes at DC Studios

Skydance announced the change on Nov. 9, naming Jeremy Latcham president and chief creative officer of DC Studios. He will oversee its film, television and animation projects, reporting to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group.

Paramount completed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery on Oct. 6 and renamed the combined company Skydance. Early reports said Gunn and Safran would remain in their roles, but The Hollywood Reporter said Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz delivered the decision in person on Nov. 6.

Gunn and Safran will continue producing DC projects. They are also completing post-production on Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel scheduled for July 2027.

A mixed run of releases

Their first release, Gunn’s Superman, earned $217 million globally at its July 2025 opening and finished with $618.7 million worldwide. Supergirl, made for a reported $170 million, opened weakly this summer and grossed $126 million worldwide amid poor reviews.

Clayface, an R-rated body-horror film made for a reported $44 million, opened at No. 1 and had earned $109 million worldwide by Nov. 8. Their television slate included a second season of Peacemaker, animated series Creature Commandos and HBO’s Lanterns, which was a hit when it debuted in August.

Latcham returns to superheroes

Latcham helped establish Marvel Studios under Kevin Feige and worked on Iron Man, The Avengers and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man films. He also collaborated with Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy. In a statement, Latcham said he was honored to lead DC Studios and described his previous work as helping bring celebrated superhero stories to the big screen.

A franchise seeking stability

The DCEU’s decade included films with uneven results, among them Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Black Adam. Its projects did not form a consistently connected series like Marvel’s films.

The two Suicide Squad films, released five years apart, were separate productions. The latest leadership change gives DC’s roster—including Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman—another shift in creative direction.