James Gunn and Peter Safran are exiting as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, four years after they were hired to oversee a reboot of the superhero brand, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported on Monday. The duo will be replaced by Jeremy Latcham, a former Marvel Studios executive, who will serve as DC Studios' president and chief creative officer from December 1.
The move comes weeks after the merger between DC Studios' owner, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Paramount Skydance was completed on October 6. Gunn and Safran had previously been included in Skydance's leadership plans, making their departure particularly unexpected.
Gunn confirmed the news in a statement on Threads on November 9, describing his four years running the studio as "trying, to say the least." He said he was "incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking," explaining that his ADHD hyperfocus made it difficult to divide his time between running a studio and directing films.
Both men will return to full-time creative work. Gunn is directing Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to his Superman, which is in post-production and scheduled to reach theaters on July 9, 2027, and he said he is also writing another potential DC project. Gunn's Superman, released in 2025, earned more than $618 million worldwide and launched the rebooted DC Universe.
Safran is also producing The Batman Part II, starring Robert Pattinson, which is now in production. The leadership change raises questions about the future of DC's film slate, but there has been no announcement that any project in development will be cancelled, recast or substantially altered.
Latcham, a veteran of Marvel Studios' first wave of films, will oversee DC's film, television and animation projects, including creative development, production, talent and strategy, as the studio enters its next phase under Skydance ownership.
