James Gunn, Peter Safran step down as heads of DC Studios

James Gunn and Peter Safran are exiting DC Studios.

The pair are unexpectedly stepping down as CEOs and chairmen, Gunn confirmed in a statement shared to his Instagram on Monday.

ABC Audio has reached out to DC Studios for further comment.

Gunn’s statement started off by thanking all who have supported him and Safran during the four years they served as the heads of DC Studios.

“When I was a kid growing up in Manchester, Missouri, I used to write and draw my own comics with a mix of DC Comics characters and my own characters. Having full access to these characters to do whatever we wanted has been a dream come true. I didn’t know if I wanted this job when it was offered to me, but I just couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity. I’m glad I took the job,” Gunn wrote.

He then described the many high points of the job, including the release of the films Superman and Clayface, as well as making the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, “which thus far has been the best filmmaking experience of my life,” Gunn wrote.

“The highest of the highs have been all the talented and wonderful people I’ve worked with and grown to love: the DC Studios crew, our talented collaborators, our casts and crews, and the boisterous and hilarious fans. And the best part of all has been working with Peter Safran, the smartest and most competent person I know. You’ve been the best partner a person could ask for, and, more so, a truly good friend,” Gunn wrote.

Gunn said that despite the good times, there have also been difficulties.

“But what only the closest people to me have known over the past four years is my time at DC Studios has been trying, to say the least. I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that). I’m always a very hard worker, but as a filmmaker I would at least get to take short breaks to unwind, and I’ve stolen even that time from both myself and my loved ones over the past four years,” Gunn wrote. “And the thing my ADHD hyperfocus has had the most difficulty with has been dividing my time between projects I’m incredibly passionate about and the ones I’m not so much and all the things I have to do as a studio head.”

The former head of DC Studios concluded his statement by saying he will miss the people at the job, as well as “being the co-caretaker of these great characters,” but that he’s “also incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking.”

Gunn noted he is not finished working at DC Studios quite yet.

“We have Man of Tomorrow out this summer. And we’ve just been engaged on another DC project which I’m writing, and we’ll see where it goes after that. And, of course, the characters we set up will live on,” Gunn wrote. “Thank you so very, very much for embracing the characters and stories we’ve put on screen.”

As for who will replace Gunn and Safran in the role, Variety reports Jeremy Latcham, a Marvel veteran, will now serve as president and chief creative officer. ABC Audio has reached out to DC Studios to confirm.

Gunn and Safran were made the co-CEOs and chairmen of DC Studios in 2022 by former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.