The superhero genre is wildly popular, and fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order were shook when Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn pivoted to DC as the co-CEO of the studio. It's only been four years since he took the job and kickstarted the new DCU, but he and Peter Safran have already been replaced. I knew the Warner Bros. merger was going to result in some changes, but I didn't see this coming.
For the past few years, Gunn has been methodically crafting the new DCU, both in theaters and streaming with a HBO Max subscription. While the first few projects from Gods and Monsters have been released, a new report by THR claims that Gunn and Safran are stepping down as co-CEOS ,and being replaced former Marvel exec Jeremy Latcham. Talk about a change in leadership.
James Gunn took to Instagram to share his own response after this news broke, shocking superhero fans. His statement starts:
Thanks to all of you who have supported me and Peter in our time as the heads of DC Studios. When I was a kid growing up in Manchester, Missouri I used to write an draw my own comics with a mix of DC comics characters and my own characters. Having full access to these characters to do whatever we wanted has been a dream come true. I didn't know if I wanted this job when it was offered to me, but I just couldn't pass up the unique opportunity. I'm glad I took the job.
Per THR, Safran and Gun will end their time at co-CEOS of DC Studios on December 1st. Their four years at the studio resulted in the formation of a new shared universe, and the release of movie titles Superman, Supergirl, and Clayface, as well as TV shows Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and Lanterns. Gunn is also directing Man of Tomorrow, which is expected to hit theaters next summer. Later in the director/writer/producer's statement on IG he got real about his time at the head of the studio, posting:
But what only the closest people to me have known over the past four years is my time at DC Studios has been trying, to say the last. I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that.) I'm always a very hard worker, but as a filmmaker I would at least get to short breaks to unwind, and I've stolen even that time from both myself and my loved ones over the past four years.
Gunn admits that he'll miss being the warden of the DCU, but also seems excited to go back to filmmaking rather than running the entire studio. In addition to bringing Man of Tomorrow to theaters, he's also a producer on The Batman: Part II and the forthcoming TV series The People v. Gorilla Grodd. Neither Gunn nor the report by THR give a reason for this change of the guard, but it certainly sounds like the Suicide Squad director is happy to be back behind the camera, rather than in a board rom.
You can see James Gunn's full statement about leaving his gig as co-CEO of DC Studios below:
There are a few factors that might have gone into this decision. To start, there's Warner Bros.' merger with Paramount, which will likely influence a number of staffing changes for the newly formed company the Skydance Corporation. The DCU has also had a few missteps as of late. Supergirl struggled at the box office, while Lanterns was the subject of some backlash. The newest movie venture Clayface took #1 at the box office, but some people were disappointed it didn't have any real connections to Batman or the greater shared universe.
More to come...
