James Gunn, Peter Safran exit DC Studios; Marvel's Jeremy Latcham takes over

James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as the heads of DC Studios, the company that makes Superman, Batman and other DC superhero films and series, it was announced on Monday, 9 November 2026. Their exit takes effect from Tuesday, 1 December 2026. Jeremy Latcham, a former Marvel Studios executive, will take over as president and chief creative officer of DC Studios and lead its film, television and animation slate. Gunn and Safran will go back to full-time creative work and keep producing DC projects, including the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow.

When Gunn, a writer-director, and Safran, a producer, were put in charge of DC Studios in 2022, they were given the job of giving DC's films, series and animation a common direction, with Gunn also writing and directing Superman. Their exit after four years means the rebuilt universe will now be steered by someone else, at a time when the studio has a new owner.

Latcham's appointment is a sign of the direction the new owners want. He comes from Marvel Studios, DC's main superhero rival, where he worked with Gunn and Safran. In a joint statement, Gunn and Safran said they shared "a creative history with Jeremy going back to Marvel" and were "eager to see the perspective he brings to DC's next chapter".

Gunn did not hide that the job had been hard. He described running the studio as "trying, to say the least", but added: "That's not to say Peter and I are immediately done with DC or superheroes." Skydance's leaders, David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, said the pair "launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation".

For DC's fans in India, as elsewhere, the person running DC Studios decides which characters reach the screen and when, and the Superman sequel remains on Gunn's slate as a writer and producer rather than as studio chief.

Peepals timeline: Warner Bros. named Gunn and Safran co-chiefs of DC Studios on 25 October 2022. Skydance later acquired Warner Bros. Discovery and, on 5 October 2026, said the pair would stay on as co-heads, reports say. Around the time Clayface was released, the studio's merger with Paramount was completed. On 9 November 2026 the pair announced they would step down from 1 December, with Jeremy Latcham taking over.

Short-term: Projects already in production, including Man of Tomorrow, continue with Gunn and Safran as producers. Latcham will take charge of the film, television and animation plan from December.

Long-term: The new studio chief may keep, change or drop parts of the plan that Gunn and Safran set out. Fans and filmmakers will watch for his first decisions on which projects move ahead.

Who is affected: DC Studios' filmmakers, actors and staff, cinema chains and streaming platforms that carry DC titles, and superhero fans in India and around the world.

What to watch next: Gunn and Safran step down on 1 December 2026, and Man of Tomorrow is due next summer, according to Gunn.

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