After only three DC Universe movies and three TV shows, James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-presidents of DC Studios.
“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,” Gunn and Safran said in a statement to Variety. “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.”
Variety reports that the pair will be replaced by Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham, who has credits on Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers, and Spider-Man films.
“Jeremy brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase, recognizing that they are the very foundation of this storied, multigenerational brand,” said Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh 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.”
The shake-up is pretty unexpected given Gunn and Safran’s quest to get the DC cinematic universe on track had only really just begun. The pair formed DC Studios in 2022, and kicked off a new movie continuity for DC heroes with last year’s acclaimed Superman. This year’s Supergirl was not quite as well received and performed poorly at the box office. Clayface, a body horror film about the Batman villain of the same name, was released last month.
On the TV side, Lanterns and Peacemaker were both received very well after debuting on HBO Max, though the DC Universe’s choices for some early projects had drawn a fair bit of criticism for focusing on obscure characters instead of major players like Batman and Wonder Woman. The People v. Gorilla Grodd is an upcoming mockumentary series starring Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olson after he debuted as the comic relief character in Superman.
Gunn is still attached to next year’s Man of Tomorrow, which he wrote and directed, but both he and Safran “will return full time to creative work” after years of overseeing the DCU’s direction.
