Film studio DC Studios is preparing for a major leadership shakeup: director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran will step down as co-CEOs on December 1, 2026. This was reported by The Hollywood Reporter, with their information confirmed by several outlets. Their successor will be producer Jeremy Latcham, who previously worked at rival Marvel Studios. The decision to change leadership comes against the backdrop of a change in ownership of parent company Warner Bros.
Who is Leaving and Who is Taking Over
Gunn and Safran took the helm of DC Studios in October 2022, receiving a mandate to completely reboot the DC cinematic universe. Over four years of work, the duo presented ambitious plans but managed to implement only a portion of them. Both co-CEOs will step down simultaneously on December 1. They will be succeeded by Jeremy Latcham, a name in Hollywood closely tied to the production of superhero projects.
What Gunn and Safran Accomplished in Four Years
Under the outgoing leadership, the studio released three feature films — Superman, Supergirl, and Clayface — as well as three series: The Penguin, Peacemaker Season 2, and Lanterns. These projects formed the basis of the new DC universe stage, but a significant portion of the works announced at the start of the reboot were never delivered to audiences, which industry estimates cite as a factor in the studio's strategy review.
Connection to Warner Bros. Ownership Change
The departure of Gunn and Safran is directly linked to the change in ownership of Warner Bros., which owns DC Studios. In October 2026, the company was acquired by Paramount Skydance, an entity of David Ellison, son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. New owners typically conduct a review of top management and creative priorities. Meanwhile, it remains unconfirmed whether Gunn and Safran were forced to leave the studio or made the decision independently, with both scenarios being discussed in the industry without definitive comments from the individuals themselves.
Who is Jeremy Latcham
The successor to the outgoing leadership is producer Jeremy Latcham, who worked at Marvel Studios from 2004 to 2017 and participated in creating projects such as Iron Man and The Avengers. Notably, Latcham has previously collaborated with Gunn: together they worked on the first installment of Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), the comedic action film that made Gunn an A-list star in Hollywood. Thus, DC Studios gets a leader with experience inside a rival franchise and a personal professional history tied to the incoming predecessor's former colleague.
The leadership change at DC Studios amid Warner Bros.' transition to Paramount Skydance ownership marks a new era for the DC universe. Jeremy Latcham is expected to determine the studio's further creative and production strategy, including the fate of already announced yet unreleased projects initiated by Gunn and Safran in 2022.
