Gunn and Safran exit DC Studios; Marvel veteran Latcham to take over
Seven Lights
James Gunn and Peter Safran are leaving their positions heading DC Studios following David Ellison’s Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros., industry trade publications reported Monday. Jeremy Latcham, a producer long associated with Marvel Studios, is set to replace them.
The two will continue working on the DC film universe as producers rather than studio executives. Both remain attached to “The Batman Part II,” and two completed projects await release: “Man of Tomorrow,” written and directed by Mr. Gunn, and “The People v. Gorilla Grodd,” both in postproduction.
The departure followed shortly after Mr. Safran told the press that David Ellison “invited us to continue” in their roles. The circumstances of the change were not disclosed by either side, and the trade reports said the details remained under wraps.
The pair’s tenure mixed hits and misses. Mr. Gunn’s “Superman” restored the character “to the heart of DC,” as they wrote in a statement, and the HBO series “Lanterns” and the film “Clayface” also did well, but “Supergirl” flopped badly and the animated “Creature Commandos” failed to make the splash the studio wanted. The Playlist judged the approach of building a rival universe in deliberate contrast to Marvel “ill-advised from the outset,” and The AV Club wrote that Warner Bros. had spent the two decades since “Batman Begins” trying to craft a single coherent cinematic vision through Mr. Gunn and before him Zack Snyder.
Mr. Latcham, a former Marvel Studios executive, has produced “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Bad Times at the El Royale,” “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and the Nate Bargatze comedy “The Breadwinner.” The Playlist noted that despite the Marvel credits on his resume, he had not worked in the superhero space for close to a decade.
The succession raises the immediate question of who greenlights the DC slate. Mr. Gunn had also become the franchise’s most visible public voice, answering fans on social media about casting and continuity. That role now passes to a producer with a record inside the studio system Marvel built.
Mr. Latcham’s first decisions are expected to concern the release order of the two finished films and the development slate behind “The Batman Part II.”