DC Studios Reportedly Pulled the Plug on Gunn and Safran Over Big Spending and Weak Audience Pull

When James Gunn and Peter Safran took the reins at DC Studios in 2022, the mission was clear. They were handed the job of building a true rival to Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the goal of rebooting a franchise that had stumbled for years. The pair promised a connected universe across film, television and animation, and expectations were sky high.

Their first big swing seemed to deliver. ‘Superman’ arrived last summer and earned $618 million worldwide against a $225 million budget, a solid result in an era when comic book movies are no longer a sure thing. Executives at the time spoke about a bold 10-year plan, and the studio’s momentum looked real.

That momentum has now unraveled. Variety reports that Gunn and Safran have been dismissed from DC Studios after their decade-long plans imploded, following a string of projects that lost money and failed to hook audiences. Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham is taking over as president and chief creative officer.

According to the report, sources suggest the thinking inside the company was that the duo spent big and lost too much on projects that were not resonating with audiences. Insiders also raised eyebrows at the decision to focus on lesser-known characters like Supergirl and Clayface instead of building out the franchise with marquee names. As one studio insider told Variety, “Higher budgets don’t equal quality storytelling,” arguing that the industry has drawn the wrong lessons from Marvel’s success.

The box office numbers explain some of that frustration. ‘Supergirl’ flopped in July with $126 million globally against a $170 million budget. ‘Clayface’ performed modestly in October with $109 million against a $44 million budget, and sources suggest it will not break even until the studio factors in downstream revenues.

The exit was not entirely unexpected, even though Gunn and Safran had been assured they were part of David Ellison’s leadership team after Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closed in October. Had they stayed, the reshuffle would have amounted to a demotion, because they previously answered directly to former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav and not to the movie co-chairs.

Gunn and Safran framed the move differently in a joint statement, saying they helped restore ‘Superman’ to the heart of DC and opened new doors in film and television. Skydance has said Latcham will begin the role on Dec. 1, and that he will oversee DC’s film, television and animation slate, including the creative pipeline, production, talent and strategy.

The pair will remain involved with DC, though with less authority. Gunn is directing next summer’s ‘Superman: Man of Tomorrow’, and the two are producing the 2027 series ‘The People v. Gorilla Grodd’ and another season of ‘Creature Commandos’. Beyond ‘Man of Tomorrow’, the only other DC film in the pipeline is ‘The Batman Part II’, which is scheduled for 2028 and predates the Gunn and Safran era.

Their long-teased ‘Wonder Woman’ reboot never got off the ground, and it remains unclear what will become of the sequels, spinoffs and standalone stories they had planned. Some commentators expect DC to lean harder on its biggest names, including Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. Others have pointed out that the real question is whether Latcham will stay the course or wipe the slate clean once ‘Man of Tomorrow’ opens.

Reaction online has been loud. The announcement sparked considerable frustration among DC fans, and some questioned the studio’s latest leadership decision. Latcham arrives with a blockbuster résumé, since his Marvel credits include ‘Iron Man’, ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.

For Latcham, the challenge is balancing a creative reset with the commitments already in motion. Skydance has said that under his leadership, every film and show will be shaped through the lens of the fans who love the characters. How that philosophy plays out will define the next chapter of the DCU.

For now, the move marks yet another turnover at a studio that has struggled for years to compete with Marvel. Whether Latcham can succeed where the previous regimes did not will depend on the choices he makes in the months ahead.

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