DC Studios leadership changes as James Gunn and Peter Safran step down

Skydance Motion Picture Group confirmed on Monday that James Gunn and Peter Safran are leaving their roles as co-chief executives of DC Studios. The decision marks the end of their four-year tenure leading the superhero division.

David Ellison, the chairman and chief executive of Skydance, announced that Jeremy Latchman will take over as president and chief creative officer. Latchman is a former Marvel Studios executive who worked on the early films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Iron Man and The Avengers. He will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, who serve as co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group.

The leadership change becomes official on Dec. 1. Despite the turnover, the production pipeline established by Gunn and Safran remains intact. Gunn is currently in postproduction on Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to the 2025 film Superman. Other projects already in development include the series The People v. Gorilla Grodd and the film The Batman: Part II.

Gunn and Safran previously survived Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Their departure coincides with the finalization of the merger between Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Pictures. The studio released the film Clayface around the same time the merger was completed.

Ellison credited the outgoing leaders for resetting the studio's foundation and building a slate of projects the company is proud of. He stated that Gunn and Safran launched a new era for the brand and guided it through a period of transformation.

The box office performance of recent releases varied under their leadership. Superman earned $618.7 million worldwide, a figure that fell short of the highest grossing superhero hits. The 2025 film Supergirl underperformed expectations, marking a setback in their second year. Clayface, which blends superhero and horror elements, has grossed $109 million so far.

Gunn faced criticism from various media outlets and fan groups regarding the political themes in his films. Fox News labeled Superman as Superwoke, while others argued the film was overly political. The New York Times attributed the poor reception of Supergirl to misogyny among core comic book fans. Gunn and Safran said in a statement that they are excited to return to writing and directing, specifically mentioning the next chapter of Clark and Lex's journey in Man of Tomorrow.

Latchman left Marvel Studios in 2017 to launch Latchman Pictures. He has since produced films such as Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Bad Times at the El Royale. In his first remarks as the new head of DC Studios, he expressed honor in leading the company into its next era and noted his respect for the brand's multigenerational fanbase.