‘Peacemaker’ Star Frank Grillo Breaks Silence on James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios Exit With a Fiery Defense

Few Hollywood shake-ups have landed as hard on superhero fans as the sudden change of leadership at DC Studios. After years of building a new shared universe, the people steering it were suddenly gone. Actors who had hitched their careers to that vision, including Frank Grillo, were left to react in real time.

The news arrived with little warning. James Gunn and Peter Safran are no longer heading DC Studios in the wake of Skydance’s nearly $111 billion absorption of Warner Bros. Pictures. Skydance replaced them with Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham as president and chief creative officer, ending a 4-year run in which they rebooted the superhero universe.

Grillo waited a couple of days before weighing in, and when he did, he did not hold back. He posted a video message from New York City on Wednesday, two days after the announcement. Grillo plays Rick Flag Sr. in ‘Superman’, ‘Peacemaker‘, ‘Creature Commandos‘ and next summer’s ‘Man of Tomorrow’.

The actor framed the video as a way to publicly thank Gunn and Safran once the initial noise died down. He took a swipe at the online peanut gallery that rushed to share opinions on the exit. Then he praised both men as some of the finest he has met in the business, describing them as loyal, passionate, loving and creative.

He also walked through the projects they made together. That list covered ‘Creature Commandos’, ‘Peacemaker’, ‘Superman’ and now ‘Man of Tomorrow’. Grillo summed up the experience as extraordinary and called it a gift.

One of his boldest lines addressed the culture of fandom debate. Whether people like their movies or not, he said, is irrelevant to him on a personal level. He called Gunn and Safran dear friends and joked that he would pick Safran up at the airport, though perhaps not Gunn. He closed by saying he looks forward to what they do next.

Grillo’s gratitude has deep roots. He is one of several actors who crossed over from Marvel to the new DC Universe, and he has spoken openly about preferring his new home. He made the leap from Marvel Studios to the emerging DC Studios led by Gunn and Safran.

He has also explained what appealed to him. Grillo praised Gunn for always making sure there is a finished script. He has described DC under the pair as more contained than Marvel’s larger machine. That kind of personal investment helps explain why the exit hit him so hard.

“I feel like now that the dust has settled a bit and every jerk-off with an Instagram handle has an opinion, I just wanted to publicly thank two of the finest men that I’ve met in this business in Peter Safran and James Gunn, two of the most loyal guys, two of the most passionate and loving and creative human beings that I’ve had the pleasure and the honor of getting to work with. Just an amazing experience with both of them, with everything from ‘Creature Commandos’ to ‘Peacemaker’ to ‘Superman’ and now ‘Man of Tomorrow,’ it’s just been extraordinary. It’s been a gift. These two gentlemen are an example of what class and what men are really capable of in Hollywood. Whether you like their movies or not is irrelevant to me, but on a personal level, there just aren’t two better human beings that I’ve come across. I consider both of them dear, dear friends. I would even pick Peter up at the airport. Maybe not James, but Peter definitely. I want to thank you boys and I look forward to what we’re gonna do next.”

PEACEMAKER has one of the greatest opening credits in recent TV history. The Skip Intro button never stood a chance. https://t.co/bLs67vMqaa

— cinesthetic. (@TheCinesthetic) November 9, 2026

The departing duo have not gone quietly either. Gunn posted a statement on Instagram saying his time at DC Studios had been trying, to say the least. He also made clear that he and Safran are not immediately done with DC or superheroes.

In a joint statement, Gunn and Safran said they helped restore Superman to the heart of DC while opening new doors in film and television. Variety reported that the pair were out, which implied they were pushed, though Gunn and Safran only confirmed they were stepping down. Industry observers are still trying to work out which version is closer to the truth.

The slate is not going anywhere overnight. ‘Man of Tomorrow’, written and directed by Gunn and produced by Gunn and Safran, is in post-production and arrives in theaters on July 9, 2027. That means their fingerprints will remain on DC projects for some time.

The larger question is what comes after. The big question is whether Latcham stays the course laid out by Gunn and Safran or wipes the slate clean after ‘Man of Tomorrow’ opens. Latcham is a producer on Marvel Cinematic Universe entries such as ‘Iron Man’ and ‘The Avengers’.

For Grillo, the immediate future looks secure, since Rick Flag Sr. is part of that upcoming ‘Man of Tomorrow’ lineup. Whether his character and the wider DCU keep the same tone under new leadership is something fans will be watching closely.

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