In a significant leadership transition, James Gunn and Peter Safran have announced they are stepping down as co-CEOs and chairmen of DC Studios. The move comes four years after the duo was initially appointed to lead the studio by former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, with the mandate to establish a competitive rival to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following their departure, Jeremy Latcham, a seasoned executive with an extensive history at Marvel Studios, has been appointed as the new president and chief creative officer.
The announcement represents a surprise executive shuffle, particularly as Gunn and Safran had previously been named as part of David Ellison’s leadership team at Skydance following Paramount’s USD 111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in October. Despite the sudden nature of the transition, both Gunn and Safran expressed pride in their accomplishments, highlighting their efforts to restore Superman to the core of the DC brand and their work on various projects including Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns, and Clayface.
Under their four-year tenure, the studio experienced a range of commercial results. Their reboot of the DC Universe featured Superman, which earned USD 618 million globally, though other releases saw varied performance. For instance, the film Supergirl recorded a loss with USD 126 million in earnings against a USD 170 million budget, while the R-rated thriller Clayface earned USD 109 million on a USD 44 million budget. The duo also expanded the brand's reach into streaming platforms, diversifying the portfolio of content.
Skydance leadership, including David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, formally thanked the departing CEOs for their dedication to the brand. In their joint statement, Ellison and Kreiz noted that the duo led the studio through a period of significant transformation and expressed confidence in the upcoming transition. They emphasized that Gunn and Safran would continue to collaborate during the handover to ensure stability as Latcham assumes his new responsibilities.
Jeremy Latcham’s appointment is seen as a move to leverage his deep industry experience. Having joined Marvel Studios in 2004, he worked closely with Kevin Feige during the foundational years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with credits including Iron Man, The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Latcham departed Marvel in 2017 to launch his own production company, Latcham Pictures, and later managed an overall deal at Hasbro Entertainment, where he worked on projects such as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
In his new capacity as president and chief creative officer, Latcham will oversee DC’s film, television, and animation strategy, reporting to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein. Skydance executives stated that Latcham brings a profound reverence for the DC fan base, which they described as the foundation of the brand. He is expected to approach the creative pipeline through the perspective of the fans who follow these properties.
While Gunn and Safran are vacating their administrative roles, they are not leaving the studio entirely. Both plan to return to full-time creative work. James Gunn is set to write and direct Superman: Man of Tomorrow, which is expected to arrive next summer. Future projects under the current development roadmap include The Batman: Part II, slated for 2028, and a 2027 television series titled The People v. Gorilla Grodd, which features actors Skyler Gisondo and Jimmy Tatro.
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