DC Studios Shakeup: James Gunn & Peter Safran Out, Former Marvel Exec Jeremy Latcham In

In a seismic executive shuffle unlike anything Bruce Wayne could pull off at Wayne Enterprises, James Gunn and Peter Safran are leaving their posts as Co-CEOs and Chairman of DC Studios, jobs which they’ve held for the past four years. The dynamic duo will continue to produce on various DC projects and returning to their full-time creative work. They’re currently in post on the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow.

Taking over the comic book entertainment label as President and Chief Creative Officer is former Marvel SVP of Production and Development, Jeremy Latcham. He starts the position on Dec. 1 and reports to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs, Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein. He worked with Gunn previously on Guardians of the Galaxy. Latcham shepherded such mega MCU franchises as Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man and The Avengers. He will lead DC’s film, television and animation slate, overseeing the creative pipeline, along with production, talent and strategy.

The news hits today as DC’s new parent, Skydance, is reporting their third quarter earnings.

Gunn and Safran were put in charge of DC by former Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav as he strove to create a motion picture production label strategy on par with Disney’s. The hiring of Gunn in a creative production executive position was arguably an anomaly: Few filmmakers, out of Charlie Chaplin, have led studios. Gunn and Safran took over DC at a time when the label was waning under the Zack Snyder universe. Zaslav wanted a universe that was built out across film, TV and games. The former WBD boss was adamant about making a Superman movie, and former WB Motion Pictures bosses quietly contracted Gunn to start writing his version before he landed the job with Conjuring producer Safran.

During their tenure, they saw the airing of the Matt Reeves’ produced 9x Emmy winning HBO Max series, The Penguin, a spinoff of the filmmaker’s The Batman starring Colin Farrell. They also had two seasons of the Emmy nominated HBO Max series Peacemaker, a spinoff of Gunn’s Suicide Squad movie starring that pic’s anti-hero played by John Cena. Let’s not forget the animated series Creature Commandos. Gunn’s Superman rebooted the franchise a fourth time since the Man of Steel hit the big screen in 1978 with a $618.7M global gross. Their HBO Max series, Lanterns, was a viewership success and their lower budget Clayface with a net $44M production cost was No. 1 worldwide for two weeks in a row, the pic’s cume now at $109M WW. Upcoming is Reeves’ The Batman II which Steven Soderbergh is finishing in London. Also upcoming for DC in 2027 is The People v. Gorilla Grodd, the eight-episode HBO Max series starring Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen and Jimmy Tatro as Gorilla Grodd has completed filming. Gunn and Safran serve as executive producers.

A big miss for Gunn and Safran was the Craig Gillespie directed Supergirl which cost a net $186M and grossed only $126.4M WW. A graphic novel which was True Grit in its story, the Superman spinoff arrived a year after Gun’s Man of Steel movie, and was perceived by fanboys as being too similar to other fantasy movies, i.e. Mad Max and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Gunn and Safran had a big plan for DC, and it will be interesting to see what Goldberg, Greenstein and Latcham keep intact. There was early buzz of James Mangold circling a Swamp Thing movie, and a spinoff of the Peacemaker series starring Viola Davis entitled Waller in which she plays the Suicide Squad‘s crooked boss.

David Ellison, Chairman and CEO, and Ynon Kreiz, Co-CEO, of Skydance said in a statement about today’s news, “James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation, resetting the foundation and building a slate we’re incredibly proud of. We’re grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand. Jeremy has been a longtime creative partner to both, and we have complete confidence that James and Peter will ensure a smooth, collaborative transition and continue this work with care. We look forward to working with Jeremy to build the next generation of DC storytelling and to doubling down on our commitment to fans.”

Said Gunn and Safran: “Four years ago, we set out to unite DC under one creative vision. In that time, we helped restore Superman to the heart of DC, while opening new doors and telling new stories in film and television with Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns and Clayface. We’re immensely proud of the team that turned that ambition into something real, including the actors, crews and executives we had the opportunity to collaborate with. We’ve shared a creative history with Jeremy going back to Marvel, and we’re eager to see the perspective he brings to DC’s next chapter. We’re excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love, including the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in Man of Tomorrow.”

“Jeremy brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase, recognizing that they are the very foundation of this storied, multigenerational brand,” said Goldberg and Greenstein. “Under his leadership, every film and television show will be ushered from start to finish through the prism of the legions of fans who love and champion it. Jeremy’s track record exemplifies the excellence he will bring to building out DC and the many beloved characters within it.”

“DC’s pantheon of characters is among the most iconic in American popular culture. I’ve had the privilege to help bring some of the most celebrated superhero stories to life on the big screen, and I’m excited and honored for the opportunity to now lead DC Studios into its next era. The chance to steward the incredible cast of DC characters to the screen in a way that excites lifelong fans while introducing their timeless stories to the next generation is a massive responsibility that I do not take lightly,” said Latcham. “I am grateful to Dana and Josh for putting their trust in me. I can’t wait to work night and day alongside filmmakers, comic book creators, artists and storytellers of every kind, across film, television and animation, to build something ambitious for longtime DC fans and newcomers alike.”