Former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham will take charge on December 1 as Gunn and Safran step away from studio leadership to focus on filmmaking and producing.
After four years leading DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-chairmen and CEOs. Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham will take over as President and Chief Creative Officer on December 1, 2026, marking another major change for the studio following Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Gunn and Safran aren't leaving DC behind entirely. Both will continue producing projects for the studio, including Man of Tomorrow, the upcoming sequel to Gunn's Superman. For Gunn, the change also means returning his attention to filmmaking rather than the day-to-day responsibilities of running a studio.
In a candid social media statement following the announcement, Gunn admitted that his time as an executive had been more difficult than most people realized.
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.
Gunn said he disliked the corporate side of the job, thanking Safran for taking on much of that responsibility. He also acknowledged that running the studio left him with little time for filmmaking or his personal life, making it difficult to balance his executive duties with the projects he wanted to create.
Despite those frustrations, Gunn described his time at DC as a dream come true. As a child, he created his own comics featuring DC characters, never imagining he would one day help shape their future on screen.
He pointed to Superman, Peacemaker, Clayface and the upcoming Man of Tomorrow among the projects he was proudest of. Gunn also called the Superman sequel the best filmmaking experience of his life.
His feelings about leaving the executive position were considerably less complicated.
I'm also incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking.
Gunn had equally strong praise for Safran, describing his longtime collaborator as "the smartest and most competent person I know" and "the best partner a person could ask for."
The leadership change comes just over a month after reports indicated that Gunn and Safran would remain in charge of DC Studios following the Paramount-Warner merger. Questions about Safran's future had continued, however, as his contract approached expiration in the spring.
Former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav appointed Gunn and Safran in October 2022 to bring DC's film, television and animation projects under a unified creative direction. Gunn brought his experience directing Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, while Safran contributed his background as a producer.
In January 2023, the pair unveiled their Gods and Monsters roadmap, outlining plans for a connected universe of films and television series. Some of those projects have since reached audiences, while others remain in development.
Their tenure included the animated series Creature Commandos, two seasons of Peacemaker, and Gunn's Superman, which earned approximately $618.7 million worldwide. They also oversaw HBO's The Penguin, although the Matt Reeves-produced series was already in development before they took over.
Other releases included Lanterns and Clayface. The latter earned approximately $109 million worldwide against a reported net production cost of $44 million.
Not everything went according to plan. Craig Gillespie's Supergirl struggled at the box office, earning approximately $126.4 million worldwide against a reported net production cost of $186 million.
Several projects announced under Gods and Monsters have also taken longer than expected to reach production. Among them are Waller, starring Viola Davis, Paradise Lost, Booster Gold, The Authority, a Swamp Thing film associated with James Mangold, and Andy Muschietti's Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Gunn previously discussed the difficulties surrounding The Authority in February 2025, explaining that the film's large scope and story elements overlapping with other DC projects had complicated its development. He acknowledged that the script had taken longer to come together than expected.
DC's upcoming slate also includes The Batman Part II and the completed HBO series The People v. Gorilla Grodd, on which Gunn and Safran serve as executive producers.
Taking over that slate will be Jeremy Latcham, who previously served as Senior Vice President of Production and Development at Marvel Studios. During his time there, he worked on major franchises including Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man and The Avengers.
Latcham will report to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein. He will oversee DC's film, television and animation projects, including creative development, production, talent and overall strategy.
Skydance Chairman and CEO David Ellison and Co-CEO Ynon Kreiz thanked Gunn and Safran for their work rebuilding DC Studios, praising the foundation they established and expressing confidence in Latcham's ability to lead the company forward.
Goldberg and Greenstein also emphasized Latcham's understanding of DC's characters and its fans, saying his experience would help guide future films and television projects from development through release.
Latcham described the opportunity as both an honor and a major responsibility. Having helped bring several successful Marvel properties to theaters, he said he looks forward to working with filmmakers, comic book creators, artists and storytellers across film, television and animation.
Gunn and Safran welcomed their longtime collaborator into the role, noting their shared history at Marvel. They also expressed pride in the work accomplished during their four years at DC, particularly restoring Superman to the center of the studio's film universe and introducing new stories through Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns and Clayface.
For Gunn, the immediate focus is Man of Tomorrow, scheduled to arrive in theaters in July 2027. He and Safran will remain involved with the film, and Gunn revealed that they have already begun developing another DC project that he is writing.
While the leadership change brings an end to their time running DC Studios, Gunn reassured fans that the characters and stories introduced during their tenure aren't going away.
"And, of course, the characters we set up will live on," he wrote.
Gunn concluded by thanking fans for their support over the past four years. His time as a studio executive may be ending, but his work with DC's characters will continue, this time with more of his attention devoted to telling their stories.
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