DC Studios is preparing for a major change behind the scenes, but its upcoming Superman and Batman projects are not losing their established producers. James Gunn and Peter Safran will leave their executive positions on December 1, ending four years in charge of DC’s creative direction. However, both will remain involved in productions already moving forward.
Taking their place is Jeremy Latcham, a longtime Marvel Studios executive whose career includes some of the biggest superhero movies of the modern era. His appointment introduces a new leadership structure under Skydance, raising an important question for DC fans: how much will change when the people responsible for building the current slate are no longer running the studio?
DC Studios will move to a new leadership structure on December 1
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s November 9 report, Skydance has selected Latcham as president and chief creative officer of DC Studios. The announcement arrives on the same day the company reports its third-quarter earnings, following its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
The transition changes more than the names at the top. Gunn and Safran previously answered to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and, more recently, David Ellison. Latcham will instead report to two senior executives within Skydance’s motion picture operation.
Here are the confirmed details of the leadership change:
- Departing executives: James Gunn and Peter Safran will step down after four years leading DC Studios.
- Effective date: The leadership transition takes effect on December 1, 2026.
- Incoming executive: Jeremy Latcham becomes president and chief creative officer of DC Studios.
- Reporting structure: Latcham will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group.
- Creative responsibilities: He will oversee DC’s film, television and animation slate, including its creative pipeline, production, talent relationships and strategy.
- Gunn and Safran’s future: Both will return to creative work full time and continue producing DC projects.
One significant detail remains unresolved. Neither the announcement nor the available reporting establishes whether Gunn and Safran independently chose to leave their executive positions. Therefore, describing the departure as a dismissal or a voluntary resignation would go beyond what has been confirmed.
Jeremy Latcham brings Marvel experience to DC Studios
Latcham’s appointment is particularly interesting because he helped develop Marvel Studios long before its cinematic universe became a dominant force in superhero entertainment. He joined the company in 2004 as one of its earliest employees and eventually became senior vice president of production and development.
His production credits include Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Spider-Man: Homecoming. That background gives him experience working across individual superhero franchises and larger interconnected productions.
Furthermore, Latcham is not a complete stranger to Gunn. The two previously worked together on 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. While that professional connection does not establish how the new management arrangement will function, it provides an existing creative relationship during an otherwise substantial transition.
In his comments about the appointment, Latcham emphasized the cultural importance of DC’s characters and the responsibility involved in bringing their stories to both longtime audiences and younger generations.
For viewers, the key distinction is between managing an interconnected franchise and personally creating its stories. Latcham will oversee the wider production strategy, whereas Gunn and Safran can now concentrate on individual projects. Whether that separation improves the creative process will become clearer as the next releases move forward.
Gunn and Safran leave behind a mixed but substantial DC slate
The outgoing executives’ four-year tenure produced a combination of theatrical films, live-action television and animation. Their work also placed Superman at the center of a renewed creative direction, something both highlighted when reflecting on their time leading the studio.
However, the results were not uniformly successful. Supergirl struggled critically and commercially, while Clayface delivered a very different outcome. The latter received strong reviews, spent two consecutive weeks at No. 1 worldwide and surpassed $100 million at the global box office.
The following breakdown separates productions released during their leadership from projects that remain in development or post-production:
- Released theatrical films: Superman, Supergirl and Clayface.
- Released live-action series: The Penguin, Peacemaker Season 2 and Lanterns.
- Released animated series: Creature Commandos.
- Upcoming Superman film: Man of Tomorrow, directed by Gunn, is in post-production and planned for release in 2027.
- Upcoming television project: The People v. Gorilla Grodd is also in post-production.
- Upcoming Batman film: The Batman Part II is planned for 2028, with Gunn and Safran remaining attached as producers.
This distinction matters because an executive departure does not automatically mean a creative project has been abandoned. In this case, the two former studio heads will retain production responsibilities even after leaving their leadership positions.
Meanwhile, interest in DC characters extends beyond the confirmed slate. Actor Bill Skarsgård recently discussed his interest in exploring a Constantine movie with Andy Muschietti. That idea remains separate from any confirmed production, but it illustrates how DC’s characters continue to attract potential creative collaborations.
Skydance must balance its new oversight with creative continuity
For Skydance, the immediate challenge is maintaining momentum while establishing a different chain of command. David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz have praised Gunn and Safran for helping launch a new era at DC and assembling a slate they are proud of. They have also expressed confidence that the handover to Latcham will proceed smoothly.
Gunn and Safran, for their part, have described their original ambition as bringing DC together under one creative vision. They also pointed to restoring Superman’s central importance and expressed enthusiasm about returning to storytelling, beginning with the next chapter involving Clark Kent and Lex Luthor in Man of Tomorrow.
The leadership announcement also comes amid broader changes across Skydance’s entertainment businesses. Battle4play recently examined Skydance layoffs and the questions surrounding Warner Bros. Games’ future. Although the gaming developments are separate from this DC Studios appointment, both highlight how different creative divisions are operating under the newly expanded corporate organization.
Still, there is no confirmed basis for linking Gunn and Safran’s departure to those workforce changes. Nor has Skydance announced that Latcham intends to cancel or replace projects from the existing DC slate.
Instead, the most useful measure of this transition will be whether upcoming productions retain their creative direction while Latcham establishes his own approach to managing the franchise. His Marvel background offers relevant experience, but DC’s future will depend on the films and series audiences actually receive.
Ultimately, DC Studios is changing who makes its executive decisions without completely changing who makes its stories. Gunn and Safran’s next productions will offer an early opportunity to see how that arrangement works. For fans, the biggest question is whether the studio can preserve a recognizable creative identity while beginning another chapter under new leadership.
Creator of the website, Pokemon trainer by nature. Trying to report on everything related to the world of video games, series and movies. Yu-Gi-Oh is my weakness, collecting cards since the dawn of time.
