James Gunn and Peter Safran may not be the only casualties of DC Studios' massive shake-up, with a big chunk of DC's upcoming movie slate now in danger. Just one day after it was announced that the duo would no longer be running the show, more of the truth seems to be coming out. Exactly what happened may never be fully revealed, but it does seem like Skydance CEO David Ellison was angling to replace the pair, making the abrupt move look a lot more like a firing than a mutual agreement. Now, with Marvel alum Jeremy Latcham set to take over, many of the movies Gunn had lined up are likely to be scrapped.
It's been a wild turn of events, as DC Studios co-CEOs Gunn and Safran seemed to be safe following the massive Warner Bros. and Paramount merger, creating the new Skydance Corporation. In fact, Ellison visited the set of Man of Tomorrow this past summer, spoke with Gunn about his future plans for the DCU, and even seemed to make assurances that the duo would report straight to the top, as they did with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Fans hoping for Gunn's executive future can now throw all of those dreams out the door. Part of Gunn and Safran's exit is because of a restructuring of DC Studios, now simply an arm of what's been brought over by Warner Bros. that will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, who will run the newly founded Skydance Motion Picture Group.
Another shift will be happening at DC Studios: focusing on the heavyweights. With Ellison now in power, having fought hard to acquire Warner Bros., and with DC being a huge part of its IP collection, he doesn't want DC to be a place of small stories.
It seems like the new DC Studios will be focusing mainly on the comic book brands' most popular characters, including heroes not yet touched in Gunn's DCU like Wonder Woman and the Flash. So far, there's been no concrete answer to whether or not the freshly reborn universe will be starting over once again, or if Latcham will simply be taking Gunn's foundation in his own direction.
With each future DC Studios movie at a different stage of production, those that haven't gotten off the ground yet are in serious danger of never happening.
DC Movies Ranked by Release Likelihood
Man of Tomorrow - Most Likely
This film is completely in the can, it seems, with Gunn having been showing off test screenings and largely in the editing room. Man of Tomorrow seems to be ahead of schedule for a July 2027 release, acting as a direct sequel to Superman and what was planned to be a major building block of the DCU's first chapter.
While the future plans now remain on hold, which could decimate the sequel's box office hopes, it'd be unfathomable to think that this movie doesn't get released. This is not a Batgirl situation.
The Batman Part 2 - Most Likely
It's been a rough path for The Batman: Part II, set to release nearly six years after the original. The latest roadblock was Matt Reeves needing to step away from the set, enlisting Soderbergh to take on the director's chair and finish the shoot.
This film was already on its own island of continuity, building solely off of the first film and The Penguin TV series. Nothing about the DC Studios shake-up would indicate this movie gets canceled, but a third Reeves Batman movie is far from guaranteed under the control of Skydance.
Dynamic Duo - Most Likely
Dynamic Duo is currently the last DC Studios movie with a release date on the calendar, set for September 22, 2028.
The Swaybox Studios project isn't part of the DCU, but it's been deep in production, so there's no reason to think it won't come out. Being animated also comes with a different set of expectations, and it doesn't carry the weight of being part of a greater universe. It remains to be seen if Latcham will be interested in other animated DC projects like this down the line.
Wonder Woman - Likely
Wonder Woman has already been brought up several times since the DC Studios rearrangement. She seems to be a very important piece of the future, seen as a marquee character by Skydance, who needs to be brought to the forefront.
What might complicate things is that the Amazonian is now expected to be introduced in Man of Tomorrow, but it's unclear if DC Studios will continue Gunn's DCU. Regardless, even if it gets messy, expect a Wonder Woman movie soon. It just may not be written by Supergirl scribe Ana Nogueira, but it will happen.
Superman 3 - Possible
James Gunn did say he is writing a future DC project, which would most likely be a follow-up to Man of Tomorrow that could release in 2029. This all comes down to whether DC Studios will retain Gunn as a writer and director, even though he's out as an overseer and world-builder.
For fans' sake, the hope is that there won't be a full reboot following Man of Tomorrow, and that Gunn can at the very least finish his Superman trilogy.
It also seemed like there was a behind-the-scenes plan for him to make a Justice League movie in 2031. It's possible, but there's not enough information right now on Gunn's future working relationship with DC.
The Brave and the Bold - Possible
The Brave and the Bold is the DCU Batman movie announced back in January 2023. Despite being part of Gunn's initial DCU plans, the movie hasn't made any legitimate progress in years.
There's still no casting, just rumblings of a new writer working on it, and a decreasing likelihood that Andy Muschietti will actually direct it. A DCU Batman movie will be made by DC Studios, and soon. But it probably won't be the film Gunn initially dreamed up when he got the job.
Teen Titans - Unlikely
The Teen Titans are popular characters, but Nogueira's connection to the script doesn't help their chances. Nor did the live-action team-up ever seem to be a major piece of Gunn's DCU, having been thrown out as a potential idea, without much else to grasp onto, like relevant characters set up in other projects.
It's safe to say Nogueira's involvement at DC Studios could be reduced to atoms heading into 2207.
Savage Hunters - Unlikely
Savage Hunters, the reported title for DC Studios' Deathstroke and Bane team-up, was always an odd movie to have in the works. On a fundamental level, expect DC Studios to move away from Batman villain spin-off movies. Clayface was fun while it lasted.
Swamp Thing - No Chance
James Mangold's Swamp Thing, an early idea for the DCU, is almost certainly dead. The new vision doesn't seem to align with dark stories about villains and monsters.
DC Studios is heading for an era of the biggest and brightest heroes. Whether or not fans get the best stories remains to be seen, but characters like Swamp Thing will almost certainly not be getting their own theatrical releases.
