James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as the co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios after four years in charge. The move was announced on Monday, November 9, 2026, by parent company Skydance. Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham takes over as president and chief creative officer, effective December 1, 2026. Gunn and Safran are not leaving DC entirely. They return to full-time creative work as producers, and they stay involved with the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, The Batman Part II, and the 2027 miniseries The People v Gorilla Grodd.
The announcement came on the same day Skydance reported its third-quarter earnings, the first since the Warner Bros. Discovery merger closed on October 6, 2026. The timing matters because the merger changed who controls the studio, and the new leadership moved quickly to reshape DC. Gunn confirmed the news himself in a statement on Threads on November 9, saying he will miss the people and the role as co-caretaker of the characters but is “incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking”. In an Instagram post, he said he and Safran are currently engaged on another DC project which he is writing.
Quick Facts
| Detail | What happened |
|---|---|
| Announced | Monday, November 9, 2026 |
| Leaving | James Gunn and Peter Safran, co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios |
| Tenure | Four years, since October to November 2022 |
| New leader | Jeremy Latcham, president and chief creative officer |
| Start date | December 1, 2026 |
| Reports to | Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein |
| Gunn and Safran next | Full-time creative work and producing |
| Man of Tomorrow | In post-production, release July 9, 2027 |
| The Batman Part II | Planned for 2028 |
| The People v Gorilla Grodd | 2027 miniseries |
| Superman (2025) | About $618 million worldwide |
| Contracts | Due for renewal in April 2027, so the exit is about six months early |
Why the Exit Happened Now
Gunn and Safran took over DC Studios in late 2022 and rebuilt it from the ground up. They launched a fresh shared universe, the DC Universe, which officially began less than two years ago. Six DCU movies and shows were released from 2024 to 2026. Their first big-screen test was Superman in 2025, which earned about $618 million worldwide. That was a solid result for a relaunch, and it showed audiences were willing to give the new DC a chance. But the run was not smooth all the way through. Supergirl stumbled at the box office, and the mixed commercial results left the studio in a complicated spot.
The merger made the timing more pressing. Skydance closed its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery on October 6, 2026, and the company reported its first earnings as the merged business on the same day the exit was announced. Gunn had previously suggested he and Safran would stay after the merger, so the decision surprised many fans. Their contracts were due for renewal in April 2027, which means they are leaving about six months early instead of finishing the full term.
Skydance CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz praised the pair for transforming DC and resetting the studio foundation. The warm words matter because the exit is being presented as a planned handover rather than a crisis. Gunn and Safran remain producers and keep working on the projects closest to them, which supports that framing. Still, the change is real and it is large. Two people who rebuilt the whole DC slate are stepping out of the top jobs at the same time, and a new leader arrives with his own vision for what comes next.
Who Is Jeremy Latcham
Jeremy Latcham comes to DC with a strong Marvel pedigree. He was senior vice president of production and development at Marvel Studios, and he produced foundational Marvel films including Iron Man and The Avengers. Iron Man launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008, and The Avengers proved that a connected universe of characters could work on a massive scale.
His new role gives him broad control. As president and chief creative officer of DC Studios, he will lead creative development of the film, television and animation slate. He reports to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, which puts DC inside the wider film group rather than as a fully separate unit. His start date is December 1, 2026, giving him just a few weeks to settle in before the new year.
The hire tells a clear story about what Skydance wants. It wants someone who has built a connected universe before and knows how to keep many projects moving at once. Latcham knows that process from his Marvel years, and DC now needs the same kind of discipline as it plans its next phase.
What Gunn and Safran Will Do Next
The exit is not a goodbye to DC. Gunn and Safran return to full-time creative work, and they remain producers on the projects that matter most to them. The biggest one is Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel, which is in post-production for release on July 9, 2027. Gunn has already said the sequel will not get a trailer in December 2026, and fans waiting for a first look will need patience. You can read more about that decision in our report on why Gunn ruled out a Man of Tomorrow trailer for December 2026.
They also continue on The Batman Part II, planned for 2028, which is one of the most anticipated DC films of the decade. Casting talk around that movie has already started, including the tricky question of who could play a role linked to a major star. Our earlier piece looked at Scarlett Johansson and the hard to figure out Batman Part II role. Beyond the two films, Gunn and Safran stay involved with The People v Gorilla Grodd, a 2027 miniseries that shows DC is still willing to try unusual ideas on the smaller screen.
Gunn’s own words on the day made his feelings clear. He said he will miss the people and the role as co-caretaker of the characters, but he is “incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking”. That line explains a lot. Running a studio means budgets, schedules, meetings and decisions about other people’s movies. Gunn is a writer and director first, and the top job pulled him away from the work he loves most. His Instagram post added that he and Safran are currently engaged on another DC project which he is writing, so the pair is not stepping away from storytelling at all.
What This Means for the DC Universe
The DC Universe officially began less than two years ago, so it is still young. Six movies and shows were released from 2024 to 2026, and the foundation is in place. The question now is whether Latcham keeps building on that foundation or starts fresh in places where the results were mixed. Superman showed the new approach can work, earning about $618 million worldwide, but Supergirl showed the risks when a film does not connect with audiences.
One part of the answer is already visible. DC has a surprise commercial hit in Clayface, which crossed $100 million worldwide, proving that smaller and stranger DC films can find an audience. Our coverage of Clayface crossing 100 million worldwide shows how a character many people had never heard of became a real box office story. That kind of result gives Latcham room to be bold. He does not need every film to be a billion dollar event.
The practical side matters too. Man of Tomorrow is already in post-production for July 9, 2027, so Latcham inherits a film that is mostly made. The Batman Part II is planned for 2028, and The People v Gorilla Grodd arrives in 2027. Those dates give him a runway. He can learn the studio and shape the slate beyond 2027 without having to rush a major decision in his first weeks.
What Fans Should Watch Next
The first thing to watch is Latcham’s first public comments after he starts on December 1. New studio heads usually speak about their plans in interviews or at industry events, and his words will hint at what stays and what changes. The second thing is the slate itself. If DC announces new films or shows, or moves dates around, that will show how Latcham wants to run things. The third thing is Man of Tomorrow, because its release on July 9, 2027 is the first major test of the new era.
FAQs
Why are James Gunn and Peter Safran leaving DC Studios?
They are stepping down as co-chairmen and co-CEOs after four years in charge. Gunn said he is relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking, and both men return to full-time creative work as producers on DC projects including Man of Tomorrow and The Batman Part II.
Who is replacing James Gunn and Peter Safran at DC Studios?
Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham takes over as president and chief creative officer, effective December 1, 2026. He was senior vice president of production and development at Marvel Studios and produced Iron Man and The Avengers.
Are Gunn and Safran leaving DC completely?
No. They return to full-time creative work and remain producers. They continue on the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, due July 9, 2027, The Batman Part II, planned for 2028, and the 2027 miniseries The People v Gorilla Grodd.
When did the DC Universe start and how has it performed?
The DC Universe officially began less than two years ago, with six movies and shows released from 2024 to 2026. Superman (2025) earned about $618 million worldwide, while Supergirl stumbled at the box office, giving the four-year run mixed commercial results.
Sources
Final Thoughts
The end of the Gunn and Safran era is a big moment for DC, but it is not the end of the story they started. They rebuilt the studio, launched a new universe and gave Superman a fresh start that earned about $618 million worldwide. Now they hand the keys to Jeremy Latcham, a Marvel veteran who knows how a connected universe is built. Gunn gets what he wanted most, a return to pure filmmaking, and DC gets a leader with a proven record. The next two years will show whether this handover was the right call.
