James Gunn, Peter Safran exit DC Studios in surprise leadership shakeup

In a sudden Hollywood power shift, James Gunn and Peter Safran are leaving their roles as the top executives of DC Studios. Variety reports the duo, who served as CEOs and chairmen, are stepping down, with their tenure ending on December 1.

They will be replaced by former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham, who is taking on the titles of president and chief creative officer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Latcham will be in charge of all creative output across DC's movies, TV shows, and animated projects, reporting to Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein.

Gunn and Safran released a joint statement, per multiple outlets. They said they were proud of helping "restore Superman to the heart of DC" and opening new doors with projects like "Peacemaker," "Creature Commandos," "Lanterns," and "Clayface." They noted a shared history with Latcham from Marvel and said they are "excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love."

The exit comes four years after they were appointed to reboot DC's cinematic universe. Their upcoming projects remain in play, with Gunn's sequel "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" in post-production for a 2027 release and the TV spinoff "The People v. Gorilla Grodd" also in the works. Skydance leadership stated Gunn and Safran will "return full time to their creative work."

Latcham is a Marvel veteran, having worked on films like "Iron Man," "The Avengers," and "Guardians of the Galaxy." In his own statement, he called the opportunity to lead DC a "massive responsibility" he does not take lightly, according to reports from TheWrap and ScreenRant.