James Gunn is stepping down as DC Studios co-CEO while Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham takes the reins of the DCU’s next chapter

James Gunn is leaving the top job at DC Studios, and the internet is reacting about as calmly as you’d expect. Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-CEOs effective Dec. 1, with Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham named president and chief creative officer. That’s a lot of change for a universe that just got its footing.

Gunn and Safran were named co-CEOs and chairmen in 2022 by then Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav. The exit is also one of the first major executive shakeups since Skydance took over Warner Bros., and it’s unclear why the pair left, especially since they were on the list of executives Skydance CEO David Ellison named after the merger. Plenty of fans assumed the guys who rebooted Superman were safe.

Skydance is framing the departure as gratitude rather than a firing. Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz praised the pair for launching a new era and leading a period of real transformation. Gunn shared his own statement on Instagram, and it reads like a victory lap with a few things left out.

The statement says a lot about what it doesn’t say

Gunn opens by saying the goal was to “unite DC under one creative vision.” He credits the team with restoring Superman “to the heart of DC” and opening new doors with Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns and Clayface. He says he and Safran are “immensely proud” of the actors, crews and executives they worked with.

Now look at that list again. Supergirl, the DCU’s other big-screen hero, isn’t in it. There’s no name-check, no thank-you and no passing nod to Kara Zor-El. Maybe it’s an innocent omission in a short statement. Maybe not. Either way, in a message this carefully built, leaving out a flagship film stands out, and fans have noticed.

Gunn also had a few words about his successor. He and Safran share “a creative history with Jeremy going back to Marvel,” and they’re “eager to see the perspective he brings to DC’s next chapter.” That’s polite, and notably neutral.

What happens next for the DCU

The statement ends on something concrete. Gunn says he’s excited to return to “what drew us to this job in the first place,” which is telling stories, including “the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in Man of Tomorrow.” So he isn’t leaving DC entirely. He’s stepping back from the boardroom and returning to the keyboard, which may be where he’s happiest.

The bigger question is what Latcham does with a slate Gunn spent four years building. Does he keep the interconnected plan intact, or does he bring a Marvel-style playbook to Gotham and Metropolis? Skydance says it’s committed to doubling down for fans, but fans have heard big promises before.

For now, the DCU is in a strange spot. Its architect is leaving the corner office, its next Superman chapter is in good hands, and a few of its heroes are noticeably missing from the farewell. Something tells us we’ll be talking about this for a while.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]