James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as heads of DC Studios, ending their four-year tenure as the architects of the rebooted DC Universe.
Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham will replace them as President and Chief Creative Officer, following Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Gunn and Safran are departing to return to full-time creative work, including the upcoming Man of Tomorrow.
- Jeremy Latcham, a former Marvel executive who worked on Iron Man and The Avengers, takes over as the new creative lead.
- The leadership change follows the $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which placed the studio under new ownership.
As reported by Variety, the move was unexpected, as Gunn and Safran had been identified as part of the leadership team under Skydance CEO David Ellison just last month. The creative duo, originally appointed in 2022 by David Zaslav, were tasked with building a cohesive cinematic universe to rival Disney’s Marvel machine.
But the math tells a different story regarding their commercial performance. While Superman pulled in a respectable $618 million globally, the subsequent release of Supergirl proved to be a significant financial drag, grossing only $126 million against a $170 million budget, according to Variety. The R-rated Clayface saw modest returns, but the inconsistency in box office results appears to have influenced the pivot in leadership.
Here is the kicker: Jeremy Latcham is an industry veteran who cut his teeth at Marvel Studios starting in 2004. According to Variety, he worked closely with Kevin Feige to launch the MCU, boasting credits on Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The transition raises urgent questions about the future of the DC slate. As reported by Film, the studio has been plagued by creative turnover since the 2013 debut of Man of Steel, moving from Zack Snyder’s vision to a series of disjointed experiments.
With Man of Tomorrow slated for next year and The Batman: Part II in the pipeline for 2028, Latcham must decide whether to honor the existing roadmap or initiate yet another top-to-bottom reboot.
| Project | Status | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Superman | Released | $618M Global Gross |
| Supergirl | Released | $126M Gross / $170M Budget |
| Clayface | Released | $109M Gross / $44M Budget |
| Man of Tomorrow | Upcoming | Gunn-directed sequel |
The video game sector, once a pillar of Gunn and Safran’s broader cross-platform ambitions, remains in a state of flux. While Gunn previously hinted at plans to integrate film actors into gaming projects, those efforts never materialized in a substantial way.
Following the merger of Warner Bros. Interactive and Paramount Games Studio, observers are waiting to see if Latcham will prioritize the rumored single-player Batman title from Rocksteady, or if the focus will shift entirely back to traditional media.
Skydance leadership seems intent on a change in philosophy. “Jeremy brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase,” said Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group, via Variety. They emphasized that under Latcham, the creative pipeline would be filtered through the perspective of the fans, a clear nod to the audience frustration that has followed recent DC releases.
It is unclear whether this stabilizes the company or continues DC’s history of executive reshuffling. Gunn and Safran have promised a smooth transition, but fans accustomed to frequent leadership changes expect Latcham to manage the DC slate effectively.
