Yesterday, November 9th, we received news that James Gunn and Peter Safran will no longer be working as co-CEOs of DC Studios, taking effect on December 1st. This is incredibly saddening and confusing for so many fans, wondering what could have happened and what the future may hold. We’re getting more news on this story by the hour, much of it unclear on where the studio will end up, and it seems impossible to keep up with it all. However, here’s a rundown of everything we know, as well as answers to a few questions I’m sure you have.
Why Did They Leave?
At this point in time, it's unclear why Peter Safran departed, though James Gunn’s announcement post on Instagram alluded to it being somewhat on his own terms. Gunn noted his inability to spend time away from work - as the head of a studio in its infancy - as well as feeling unable to enjoy any creative aspects of his job, namely in writing and directing his own movies, in favour of many projects that he may not have been as passionate about.
However, zoomed out, this looks much less in Gunn’s hands than it originally seemed. First, I’ll consult The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?, an official one-episode podcast hosted by James Gunn, Jennifer Holland, and Steve Agee. Within this, the hosts watch 2021’s The Suicide Squad, officially establishing which elements of the film are canon to this new DCU. At some point throughout, Gunn mentioned he would ‘bend over backwards’ if Margot Robbie intended on, once again, taking on the Harley Quinn mantle. None of this - from establishing a canon to somewhat promising some highly requested casting choices - seems like the work of a man who has any plans to step away from the franchise.
Since Skydance’s recent acquisition of Warner Brothers - and, by extension, DC - it seems there are a few points of tension between the former DC heads and Skydance’s new CEOs. First off, as part of their contracts with DC, Gunn and Safran would report directly to Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav, even in the event of a change in leadership. This is completely antagonistic to the plans set by the new Skydance CEOs - David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz - to consolidate all production under their leadership. Simply put, Skydance wanted everybody to report to them and them only.
Another point of conflict was James Gunn’s somewhat deliberate counterintuitive-to-profit slates. Supergirl ended up a box office disaster and - despite making $618 million on a $225 million budget - Superman was unable to secure quite enough to satisfy the Skydance executives, as well as lacking any sufficient “pop culture impact”. This seems to completely disregard the critical and financial success of the Lanterns TV show, as well as the ever-growing Clayface box office - currently sitting at almost $110 million on a $30 million budget.
Sources also say that the former DC heads were slow to share slate details, footage, and future plans with Skydance, likely being a big contributing factor to their premature departure.
Will we see James Gunn or Peter Safran at DC again? Most likely, though in a much smaller role. While Safran has direct links with Warner Brothers, being a prolific producer, fostering a long relationship with the studio via the Conjuring franchise, it’s unclear how much more we’ll see Gunn’s name for any DC projects in the future - at least those that aren’t currently in production.
Who’s Taking Over?
The man taking the jobs of both James Gunn and Peter Safran is former executive and producer at Marvel Studios, Jeremy Latcham. This can definitely be a good sign, pointing to Latcham’s knowledge of building a connected universe - due to his work on Iron Man 1 and 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and two Avengers movies. However, Latcham’s most recent work is on Nate Bargatze’s The Breadwinner, an incredibly outdated comedy based around a father being unable to care for his children.
Latcham joined Marvel Studios in 2004, long before it was even a real production studio. Through the years, he managed to rise the ranks, eventually landing as Kevin Feige’s right-hand man. Latcham was known for voicing his concerns about the wide appeal of a project by asking, ‘Would my grandma like this?’, used as a way to ask if this is appealing to “everyday people beyond Hollywood” and wondering if these movies would resonate with that audience.
Jeremy Latcham says - in an interview for Filmtopia - that the main thing he learned, and intends to adapt to his work at DC, from his time at Marvel was “heart, humour, and spectacle, in that order”, as well as separately noting his main goal is making hits for the masses, appealing to anybody and everybody, and getting people in theatres. He’s affectionately been described as a “down the middle shooter”.
What Does This Mean For The DCU?
Right now, we’re not entirely sure, though more information is released all the time, and we’ll soon get answers. However, right now, the most we can do is collect the pieces and try to fit them together the best we can.
First, and on a potentially bleak note, PuckNews has reported that much of the DCU as we know it will be dismantled, with many of Gunn’s upcoming projects being cancelled. However, everything that’s already been or is being filmed will still be released, including Man of Tomorrow - the sequel to 2025’s Superman - and The People vs. Gorilla Grodd. James Gunn is also set to write one more DCU project before his departure, which is likely to be a Superman 3. A big question is: how safe is Matt Reeves' The Batman universe? Right now, it's completely uncertain, though it's likely we’ll see very little change due to its repeated critical and financial success.
As many projects under James Gunn’s leadership either underperformed or were created counterintuitively to profit - rather prioritising the vision of a single writer or director - it’s likely we’ll see a swift turnaround in the universe’s direction. Due to Jeremy Latcham’s attitude towards a cinematic universe in general, it seems we may see more heavy hitters in DC’s future. Say goodbye to the Clayfaces and Supergirls of the universe and hello to Batman and Wonder Woman, once again. Latcham prioritises straight-shooting movies that will bring in a wider audience, rather than building an interesting universe or creating something different with the medium - which seems to have been James Gunn’s mantra.
James Gunn leaving doesn’t necessarily mean this is the end of his work for DC entirely; I see it likely he returns as a director, either for a continuation of the Superman character or otherwise - as long as he holds no grudges against the studio.
While I’m sure there’ll be an attempt at continuing the current DC universe, I can’t see Latcham and Gunn’s wildly different tastes and attitudes melding into anything savoury. Instead, Latcham may make the decision to reboot the franchise entirely, once again starting from scratch. However…
Can DC Survive Another Reboot?
This was my big question when originally seeing this news, and I’m sure I share that with many others. My answer is: I really don’t think so. The fact that this universe has only existed for about four years now, if it reboots once again, I can’t see fans of either Zack Snyder’s or James Gunn’s universe trusting a new one, for fear of simply losing it again. Why would I want to get excited and invested in the promise of a new universe and new characters if it may all mean nothing in another few years?
Even disregarding the fans, those who will be up to date with this news, casual viewers aren’t going to flock to these new movies either. If you don’t see the updates, you likely won’t know about the change in leadership and so, once the universe reboots - or even just changes its tone - you’ll just end up confused and slowly turned away. You’ve just spent four years getting to know and growing to enjoy new iterations of these characters, as well as a few new ones, and now that may all be gone in an instant. It’s a big ask for any kind of moviegoer to invest in this universe with no assurance as to its longevity. The first two tries evidently haven’t worked, so who’s to say this one will?
Of course, everything to do with a reboot is all speculation and we currently have very little idea on the direction of the DCU - all we can really do is wait. However, whether we see a complete and utter overhaul of the franchise or a continuation of the existing one, the only thing certain is that big changes are coming for DC - whether you like it or not.