DC Studios will no longer have the same independence it had under Skydance's film division after a major change involving James Gunn. After theatrical releases for Supergirl and Clayface, plus Lanterns' run on HBO Max, DC Studios is in a major state of flux amid Paramount Pictures' merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which resulted in the formation of the Skydance Motion Picture Group. While this was expected to incite some changes for DC's future, the company is now giving one of its biggest leaders a new path forward.
Variety reported that James Gunn and Peter Safran will no longer be the co-CEOs of DC Studios after the merger between Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Discovery (now operating as the Skydance Motion Picture Group). The report also confirmed that new DC Studios CEO Jeremy Latcham will now report to the co-chairs of Skydance, Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein:
"Latcham, a Marvel veteran whose credits include 'Iron Man,' 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' and 'The Avengers,' will lead DC’s film, television and animation slate, overseeing the creative pipeline, along with production, talent and strategy. He will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group."
This marks a massive change from how DC Studios operated when the division was first created under Gunn and Safran's watch in late 2022. When the duo first started developing the new DC Universe after the former DC Extended Universe (largely led by Zack Snyder), they only reported directly to Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav.
As the merger came together, Gunn revealed as recently as early November 2026 that he was set to report directly to Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz, just as he did with Zaslav before. Now, after four years, Gunn and Safran have stepped away from their duties as the top executives at DC Studios, although Gunn is expected to go back to his roots as a filmmaker to continue the story in this same franchise.
Ramifications of Changes to DC Studios Under Skydance
With Gunn and Safran having vacated their positions, DC Studios will now look to Jeremy Latcham for leadership, as the DCU continues to add new chapters to its story. However, the worry is that not having Gunn and Safran leading the efforts will result in less creative control and autonomy, which may lead to a less fluid story and greater production difficulties.
The merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. could mean DC Universe decisions go through a longer chain of command, rather than being made directly by Gunn and Safran. It will also give the entire franchise a different feel from a story perspective, as Gunn is directly responsible for creating some of the tone and style through his work as the director on projects like Superman and Peacemaker.
However, with the executive duties now off of Gunn's plate, he could be free to help develop the franchise further by focusing on his strengths as a storyteller, similarly to the way Zack Snyder did during the DCEU days. While plenty of questions still need to be answered, there is still hope that Gunn and the DC team will be able to keep delivering a saga that fans will receive well over the next few years.
