Four years after David Zaslav handed James Gunn and Peter Safran the keys to DC Studios, the pair is stepping down from its executive roles. Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham will take over as president and chief creative officer on Dec. 1. Gunn and Safran will continue producing DC projects, including the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, which is already in post-production.
In a joint statement, Skydance Chairman and CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz said, “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. We’re grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand.”
Addressing Latcham’s new role, they added, “Jeremy has been a longtime creative partner to both, and we have complete confidence that James and Peter will ensure a smooth, collaborative transition and continue this work with care. We look forward to working with Jeremy to build the next generation of DC storytelling and to doubling down on our commitment to fans.”
The timing is the surprise. Just weeks ago, Skydance named Gunn and Safran as DC’s co-chairmen in its leadership plan for the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition. Now Latcham will oversee DC’s film, television and animation slate, reporting to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein.
He comes to the job with credits on Iron Man, The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, where he worked with Gunn.
What Latcham inherits
Former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO Zaslav brought in Gunn and Safran in 2022 to give DC a shared creative direction across film and television. They unveiled the first chapter, “Gods and Monsters,” in January 2023. The plan put Superman at the center of the new universe while leaving room for an adult animated series like Creature Commandos and a horror movie built around a Batman villain.
Gunn’s Superman earned $618.7 million worldwide, giving the relaunch a strong start. The results since then have been uneven. Supergirl grossed $126.4 million worldwide against a reported $186 million net production budget.
Clayface, which reportedly cost $44 million to make, has already reached $109 million worldwide through three weekends. For an executive deciding what to greenlight, those two films offer a more useful comparison than a simple tally of hits and misses. One asked audiences to show up for another large-scale superhero adventure. The other gave them a horror movie with a DC character at its center and carried a much smaller production bill.
On television, the Gunn-Safran years brought Peacemaker, Creature Commandos and Lanterns. They also saw the success of The Penguin, which grew out of Matt Reeves’ The Batman and was already in development before they took over. That distinction matters. Some of DC’s strongest work during their tenure came from filmmakers pursuing very different ideas about what a DC story could be.
Latcham stated, “DC’s pantheon of characters is among the most iconic in American popular culture. I’ve had the privilege of helping 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.”
REELated:
Avengers: Doomsday test screening reactions are not good
The next Superman is already in post
In a joint statement, Gunn and Safran said they were looking forward to telling “the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in Man of Tomorrow.” Their continued involvement gives Latcham some continuity on the film furthest along in Gunn’s Superman story.
The decisions that will tell us more about his DC are further back in the pipeline. The original slate included projects such as Waller, Booster Gold, Paradise Lost, and The Authority, all of which have been in development for years.
Latcham helped Marvel build a franchise one greenlight at a time. At DC, he inherits a Superman sequel already in post, a lower-budget horror film finding its audience and a list of announced projects still waiting for their turn. His first real test will be deciding which of those movies and shows should come next.
The Geek is a working screenwriter, director and screenwriting instructor.
