James Gunn announced Monday that he’s relieved to step down as leader of DC Studios, saying his four-year collaboration with Peter Safran has been a dream fulfilled, though at the cost of time with himself and his loved ones.
Gunn and Safran will leave their positions as chairman and CEO of DC Studios starting December 1, with Skydance now the studio’s parent company making the announcement. Jeremy Latcham, former Marvel Studios executive who has worked with Gunn on Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, will take on the role of president and chief creative officer, overseeing DC’s film, television, and animation slates. Gunn and Safran will still produce DC projects.
“Oh, boy. What a four years,” Gunn, 60, wrote in a lengthy statement posted to Instagram. “Thanks to all of you who have supported me and Peter in our time as the heads of DC Studios.”
Gunn said his job gave him the chance to work with characters he has admired since childhood.
“When I was a kid growing up in Manchester, Missouri, I used to write and draw my own comics with a mix of DC Comics characters and my own characters. Having full access to these characters to do whatever we wanted has been a dream come true,” he wrote. “I didn’t know if I wanted this job when it was offered to me, but I just couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity. I’m glad I took the job.”
Highlights of his four years at DC Studios include “The People Vs,” a reference to “The People vs. Gorilla Grodd,” an upcoming DC Universe docuseries featuring Jimmy Olsen returning to the case that got Gorilla Grodd behind bars.
“There have been so many highs along the way: releasing ‘Superman’ and ‘Clayface,’ making ‘Peacemaker,’ reading the scripts to ‘The People Vs,’ the entire process of ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ which thus far has been the best filmmaking experience of my life, and numerous other moments,” he wrote.
But the people he worked with mattered most to Gunn, especially Safran.
“The highest of the highs have been all the talented and wonderful people I’ve worked with and grown to love: the DC Studios crew, our talented collaborators, our casts and crews, and the boisterous and hilarious fans,” he wrote. “And the best part of all has been working with Peter Safran, the smartest and most competent person I know. You’ve been the best partner a person could ask for, and, more so, a truly good friend.”
However, Gunn also described a job that drained him.
“But what only the closest people to me have known over the past four years is my time at DC Studios has been trying, to say the least,” he wrote. “I dislike the at times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that).”
“I’m always a very hard worker, but as a filmmaker I would at least get to take short breaks to unwind, and I’ve stolen even that time from both myself and my loved ones over the past four years (Jenn, I love you and I’m sorry and you don’t need to feel guilty for being the happiest of all people that I’m no longer doing this job),” Gunn wrote.
He also pointed out that his ADHD made the balance between the creative and administrative roles especially tough.
“And the thing my ADHD hyperfocus has had the most difficulty with has been dividing my time between projects I’m incredibly passionate about and the ones I’m not so much, and all the things I have to do as a studio head,” he wrote. “So, yes, I will miss the people around me, and I will miss being the co-caretaker of these great characters, but I’m also incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking.”
Gunn clarified that he and Safran won’t be leaving DC altogether.
“That’s not to say Peter and I are immediately done with DC or superheroes. We have ‘Man of Tomorrow’ out this summer. And we’ve just been engaged on another DC project which I’m writing, and we’ll see where it goes after that,” he wrote. “And, of course, the characters we set up will live on.”
Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to Superman, is slated for release on July 9, 2027. He did not reveal any details about the new project.
He ended his post by thanking the fans: “Thank you so very, very much for embracing the characters and stories we’ve put on screen.” He signed the post, “Love and gratitude, James Gunn.”
Gunn and Safran were hired to lead the newly established DC Studios in October 2022, with a mandate to create a single, unified DC universe through film and television. In a joint statement on Monday, they said that their objective was “to unite DC under one creative vision,” including projects such as “Superman,” “Peacemaker,” “Creature Commandos,” “Lanterns,” and “Clayface.”
This leadership change comes after the merger that saw Warner Bros., DC Studios’ parent company, join hands with Paramount. David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Skydance, along with CEO Ynon Kreiz, said that Gunn and Safran have “launched a new era for DC Studios” and they expect a smooth transition under their leadership.
Latcham, who served as senior vice president of production and development at Marvel Studios before leaving in 2017 and who also contributed to “Iron Man” and “The Avengers,” said in a statement that he was “excited and honored” to guide DC Studios into its next era.
Gunn has directed Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films and later “The Suicide Squad” and the first season of “Peacemaker” for Warner Bros. before taking charge of DC Studios. Safran is a veteran producer whose credits include the “The Conjuring” horror series, as well as DC’s “Aquaman” and “Shazam!” films.
