DC Studios' co-heads will continue overseeing the DC franchise as David Ellison prepares to bring Paramount and Warner Bros. together under the Skydance name.
Despite major restructuring surrounding Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are staying in charge of the company's film, television and comic book operations.
The decision follows a strategy meeting between Gunn, Safran and David Ellison as preparations continue for the combination of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The merged company will operate under the Skydance name when the transaction closes.
Gunn and Safran's continued leadership provides stability for DC Studios at a time when significant changes are taking place elsewhere within Warner Bros. Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, who have led the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, are expected to depart as the new corporate structure takes shape.
Under the new hierarchy, Paramount Pictures co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are expected to oversee the combined film operations, while Gunn and Safran will continue running DC Studios.
Gunn and Safran were appointed by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav in October 2022 and tasked with creating a unified direction for DC's film and television properties. Their appointment established DC Studios as a standalone operation focused on the long-term management of the franchise.
The pairing brought together two executives with different backgrounds. Safran had produced films including The Conjuring, Shazam! and Aquaman, while Gunn arrived with experience as both a filmmaker and producer. The two had already worked together on 2021's The Suicide Squad and its television spin-off, Peacemaker.
The acquisition also creates an interesting full-circle moment for Paramount. Before Disney acquired Marvel Entertainment in 2009, Paramount distributed several of the films that helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.
DC now joins a combined company with an extensive collection of major entertainment properties. Paramount's existing franchises include Mission: Impossible, Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while Warner Bros. brings DC and numerous other film and television properties into the newly combined operation.
Gunn and Safran will remain responsible for a DC slate that is already well into production and development. Gunn is currently directing Man of Tomorrow, the follow-up to Superman, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters July 9, 2027.
DC Studios is also preparing Clayface for an October 23, 2026 release, while Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II is scheduled for February 18, 2028.
Keeping Gunn and Safran in place gives DC Studios continuity as the larger Warner Bros. organization undergoes one of the most significant corporate transitions in its history. With multiple DC projects already underway, their continued leadership also means the franchise's current creative direction will remain intact as Paramount and Warner Bros. begin operating within the same company.
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