James Gunn and Peter Safran step down at DC Studios as Skydance taps Marvel veteran Jeremy Latchman
Skydance is replacing DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran with longtime Marvel executive Jeremy Latchman, weeks after its Paramount merger closed.
By Larissa Bell ·
The superheroes of DC are getting new leadership once again. Skydance Motion Picture Group announced on Monday that James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-chief executives of DC Studios, ending a four-year run at the top of the comics-based studio.
The exit comes as an abrupt conclusion to a tenure that appeared to have only just begun. Superman, the first film released under their watch, arrived in theatres only last year. Gunn and Safran had initially survived Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, and the studio's merger with Paramount Pictures was finalized around the time DC's Clayface reached audiences.
Despite that, the pair will not make it through the merger. Skydance chairman and chief executive David Ellison is instead turning to Jeremy Latchman, a veteran of Marvel Studios, to guide DC into its next phase.
"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."
The changeover takes effect Dec. 1, though a deep pipeline of projects already in production means the influence of Gunn and Safran will linger at DC Studios for some time. Gunn, who directed Superman, is now in post-production on its follow-up, Man of Tomorrow. Other releases on the way include the series The People v. Gorilla Grodd and the film The Batman: Part II.
Even so, the decade-long plan the two executives mapped out will not be completed under their leadership. Their tenure became known for offbeat comic book adaptations and genre risks, including Clayface, which blended a superhero story with horror. Earlier this year, Supergirl flopped at the box office, a significant setback in only their second release.
Latchman assumes the titles of president and chief creative officer of DC Studios, reporting to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group. He has long been a leading executive on Marvel releases, including the first wave of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man and The Avengers, and previously collaborated with Gunn and Safran on their Guardians of the Galaxy film.
After the news broke, Gunn and Safran issued an official joint statement praising DC Studios and singling out Latchman. But in a personal post on his Instagram account, Gunn acknowledged strains behind the scenes. "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," he wrote, citing the "at-times corporate nature of the job" and the need to split his attention among projects that did not interest him artistically. "So yes, I will miss the people around me, and I will miss being the co-caretaker of these great characters, but I'm also incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking."
