James Gunn, Peter Safran out of DC Studios as Skydance shakeup continues

Jake Coyle · The Associated Press

· Posted: Nov 09, 2026 2:07 PM EST | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Superman, Batman and the rest of the DC heroes are getting a new boss, yet again.

Skydance Motion Picture Group announced on Monday that James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-chief executives after four years leading DC Studios. Although their first film leading the superhero factory, Superman, reached theatres only last year, their DC run has come to an abrupt end.

Gunn and Safran initially survived Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio's merger with Paramount Pictures was finalized just as DC's Clayface was released.

However, it's clear Gunn and Safran won't survive the merger. Instead, Skydance chairman and chief executive David Ellison is turning to Jeremy Latchman, a veteran of Marvel Studios, to steer DC into the next chapter.

"James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation, resetting the foundation and building a slate we're incredibly proud of," Ellison said in a statement. "We're grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand."

Director James Gunn attends the Superman fan event in London's Leicester Square on July 2, 2025. (ate Green/Getty Images)

The changeover will take effect Dec. 1. But a long pipeline of projects already in production ensures that Gunn and Safran's fingerprints will be on DC Studios for a while to come.

Gunn, who directed Superman, is currently in post-production on the follow-up, Man of Tomorrow. Other upcoming DC Studios releases include the series The People v. Gorilla Grodd and The Batman: Part II.

But the decade's worth of planning that Gunn and Safran undertook will no longer come to fruition. Their reign has been characterized by more idiosyncratic comic book adaptations and genre gambles, like Clayface, which fused a superhero story with horror.

Earlier this year, Supergirl flopped, a major setback in just their second release.

Latchman takes on the roles of president and chief creative officer of DC Studios. He will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group.

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Latchman has long been a leading executive for Marvel releases, including the first wave of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man and The Avengers. He also worked with Gunn and Safran on their Guardians of the Galaxy.

"Jeremy brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase, recognizing that they are the very foundation of this storied, multigenerational brand," said Goldberg and Greenstein.

"Under his leadership, every film and television show will be ushered from start to finish through the prism of the legions of fans who love and champion it."