James Gunn and Peter Safran Exit DC Studios, Explained: Why They're Out, Who Is Jeremy Latcham, and What Happens to Man of Tomorrow
Okay, I need a minute.
Because just a few weeks ago, James Gunn and Peter Safran were named in David Ellison's leadership team at the newly renamed Skydance. And on Monday, 9 November, they were out.
Gunn and Safran are stepping down as co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios. Their replacement is Jeremy Latcham, a Marvel veteran, who comes in as president and chief creative officer. And just like that, the DCU's architects are no longer running the DCU.
Let me break down everything we actually know, and then I'll give you my take.
What exactly happened?
Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz announced the change. Gunn and Safran won't vanish from DC. They return to creative work full time and stay on as producers for projects already in motion.
The joint statement from the two of them was gracious. They spoke about restoring Superman "to the heart of DC" and said they were eager to see what Latcham brings.
But Gunn's own post on social media was something else. He said his time at DC Studios had been "trying, to say the least", and that he disliked the at-times corporate nature of the job.
That's not a press release line. That's a man exhaling.
Stepped down or pushed?
Here's where it gets messy. The official language is "stepping down". Variety's own headline, though, called it a firing.
My honest reading? Both can be true. When a new owner arrives, the old bosses rarely leave purely on their own terms. And this was a new owner arriving in the biggest possible way.
Why now? Follow the merger
Paramount Skydance closed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery in October, in a deal worth roughly $110 billion. The combined company is now simply called Skydance.
New company, new reporting lines. Latcham will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of the Skydance Motion Picture Group. Under the old structure, Gunn and Safran had been hand-picked in 2022 by then Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav to build a real rival to Marvel.
And then there's the money. On the same day, Skydance laid out how it plans to cut $6 billion in costs. I broke that down here. When a company is hunting for savings across a $50 billion expense base, every division has to justify itself.
The report card
Let's be fair to Gunn and Safran, because four years is not nothing:
Superman (2025) made $618 million worldwide. A relative success, and the film that launched the new DCU.
Supergirl (July 2026) made $126 million on a $170 million budget. That's the wound.
Clayface, the R-rated body-horror swing, made $109 million on a $44 million budget. Modest, but sensible maths.
On streaming, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos and Lanterns expanded the universe on HBO Max.
Notice something in the duo's farewell statement? It names Superman, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns and Clayface. It doesn't name Supergirl. Plenty of fans noticed.
Who is Jeremy Latcham?
If you love the early MCU, you've watched his work without knowing it.
Latcham joined Marvel Studios in 2004 and rose to senior vice president of production and development, working closely with Kevin Feige. He was associate producer on Iron Man, co-producer on Iron Man 2, and executive producer on The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
He left Marvel in 2017, started Latcham Pictures, and produced Bad Times at the El Royale and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Here's the twist I love. Latcham was on Guardians of the Galaxy. With James Gunn. The man replacing Gunn is someone Gunn has known for over a decade. That's either the smoothest handover in Hollywood or the most awkward Christmas party of the year.
What happens to the DCU now?
What's still on the slate:
Superman: Man of Tomorrow, written and directed by Gunn, due next summer. He's still in post-production.
The Batman Part II, starring Robert Pattinson, in 2028.
The People v. Gorilla Grodd, a 2027 series with Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen.
Gunn also said he isn't "immediately done" with DC. So he stays a creator inside the house he no longer runs.
My take
I'm torn, and I'm not going to pretend I'm not.
Gunn was never a natural suit. He's a storyteller who loves misfits, raccoons and talking sharks. Making him run a corporate machine was always going to rub. You could feel that frustration in his post.
But here's what worries me. DC has spent more than a decade rebooting, retconning and restarting. Every new boss arrives with a "vision" and leaves before it finishes. Fans are tired. A universe needs time, and time is exactly what DC never gets.
If Latcham can do for DC what he helped do at Marvel, which is patience plus a plan, great. If this becomes reboot number four, I think a lot of people simply stop caring.
For now, all eyes on Man of Tomorrow. That film just became the most important film in the DCU, and its director no longer runs the studio. Wild.
Frequently asked questions
Why did James Gunn and Peter Safran leave DC Studios?
Skydance announced on 9 November 2026 that they were stepping down as co-chairmen and CEOs. Gunn said the job had been trying and that he disliked its corporate side. Variety's headline described the change as a firing.
Who replaced James Gunn at DC Studios?
Jeremy Latcham, a Marvel Studios veteran who worked on Iron Man, The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, is the new president and chief creative officer.
Is Superman: Man of Tomorrow still happening?
Yes. Gunn is still writing and directing it for a summer 2027 release, and he and Safran remain producers on projects already in the works.
Is The Batman Part II affected?
The Batman Part II, starring Robert Pattinson, is still listed for 2028.
Vishal Waghela is the Co-Founder of AltBollywood and a proud neo-generalist who refuses to pick a lane. Film, music, memes, fashion, AI, internet subcultures: if pop culture touches it, he's already three rabbit holes deep. He writes the way he lives online, loud, emotional, a little chaotic and always honest about why culture makes us feel things. Come argue with him on Instagram at @vishal.waghe1a.
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