Carolina De La Rocque
DC Studios just announced the end of James Gunn & Peter Safran’s time as co-CEOs; this is most likely due to the undeniable turbulent era of their leadership. However, apart from some commercial and critical failures — such as Supergirl (2026) — no one can deny that Gunn and Safran actually love these characters deeply and did their best under rough circumstances.
Their first Chapter, entitled ‘Gods and Monsters’ technically started off with the animated series Creature Commandos (2024) but, in reality, it began with Superman (2025). Since then, they released Lanterns, a second season of Peacemaker, Supergirl and Clayface — all which are parts of an (relatively flawed) attempt to create a cohesive universe. It surely had promising aspects, and starting from scratch was actually a great choice. The partners had a 8-10 year long plan for their take on the DC Cinematic Universe, of which only 4 years actually took place (although not entirely compliant to their original plan).
In a statement published on social media, Gunn mentioned that “having full access to these characters to do whatever we wanted has been a dream come true” but that he does not feel fit to the corporate nature of the job and the incredible time constraint it creates. He also thanked the fans for their support and Peter Safran for being “the best partner a person could ask for”. Lastly, Gunn mentioned he is excited and relieved with the opportunity to go back to pure filmmaking and that they will still release Superman: Man of Tomorrow this summer — he described it as the “best filmmaking experience of [his] life”.
What is next for DC, then?
In his statement, Gunn mentioned that the characters they have established will live on — fans should not expect yet another reboot. Skydance — which now owns DC — stated through its chairman and CEO David Ellison that “we have complete confidence that James and Peter will ensure a smooth, collaborative transition”. The transition in question is the effective start of the new CEO Jeremy Latcham on December 1st. David Ellison surprised and confused many when announcing that Safran and Peter would be stepping down, since they were included in his business plan with Skydance in October.
The new CEO, Jeremy Latcham, is a Marvel veteran producer that has worked closely with Feige and is credited under legendary productions, including Iron Man, The Avengers, and even Guardians of the Galaxy, alongside Gunn himself. He enters in what arguably is the most controversial era for DC Studios’ creative direction, which has never exactly been linear.
According to Variety, Latcham stated that “DC’s pantheon of characters is among the most iconic in American popular culture. I’ve had the privilege to help bring some of the most celebrated superhero stories to life on the big screen, and I’m excited and honored for the opportunity to now lead DC Studios into its next era. The chance to steward the incredible cast of DC characters to the screen in a way that excites lifelong fans while introducing their timeless stories to the next generation is a massive responsibility that I do not take lightly.”
Comic Watch sincerely hopes Latcham can carry on the passion and devotion Gunn and Safran demonstrated towards this universe.
