NEW YORK (AP) — Superman, Batman and the rest of the DC heroes are getting a new boss, yet again.
Skydance Motion Picture Group announced Monday that James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-chief executives after four years leading DC Studios. Though their first film leading the superhero factory, “Superman,” reached theaters only last year, their DC run has come to an abrupt end.
Gunn and Safran initially survived Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio’s merger with Paramount Pictures was finalized just as DC’s “Clayface” was released.
However, it turns out Gunn and Safran aren’t surviving the merger. Instead, Skydance chairman and chief executive David Ellison is turning to Jeremy Latchman, a veteran of Marvel Studios, to steer DC into the next chapter.
“James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation, resetting the foundation and building a slate we’re incredibly proud of,” Ellison said in a statement. “We’re grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand.”
The changeover will take effect Dec. 1. But a long pipeline of projects already in production ensures that Gunn and Safran’s fingerprints will be on DC Studios for a while to come. Gunn is currently in postproduction on the “Superman” follow-up, “Man of Tomorrow.” Other upcoming releases include the series “The People v. Gorilla Grodd” and “The Batman: Part II.”
But the decade’s worth of planning that Gunn and Safran instituted will no longer come to fruition. Their reign has been characterized by more idiosyncratic comic book adaptations and genre gambles, like “Clayface,” which fused superhero with horror. Earlier this year, “Supergirl” flopped, a major setback in just their second release.
Latchman takes on the roles of president and chief creative officer of DC Studios. He will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group.
Latchman has long been a leading executive for Marvel releases, including the first wave of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Iron Man” and “The Avengers.” He also worked with Gunn and Safran on their “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“Jeremy brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase, recognizing that they are the very foundation of this storied, multigenerational brand,” said Goldberg and Greenstein. “Under his leadership, every film and television show will be ushered from start to finish through the prism of the legions of fans who love and champion it.”
