DC fans were excited to learn a few weeks ago that James Gunn had seemingly signed an extension to remain the co-chairman of DC Studios, but what about his partner, Peter Safran? Any success and failure that has been found for the nascent DCU franchise has often been placed at Gunn’s feet in many respects, but Safran remains a key piece of the equation, a steady hand to guide the development at the studio at points when Gunn himself is actively working on his own projects (like next summer’s Man of Tomorrow). A new report could indicate a change at DC, and it would all be thanks to Netflix.
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According to Page Six, after , the streamer is actively searching for the person who will take on the job and spearhead, and Safran is one of the potential names. Should he eventually depart DC and leave for Netflix, where he would be at the top of the food chain and not a co-lead as he is with DC Studios, it could present a bit of a problem, as the dynamic between Gunn and Safran has been something of a secret sauce in getting the franchise going. While both are a clear creative force, Gunn has been the filmmaker at the center of the series, with Safran largely working on the business and talent relations side. But it all begs the question: Will he even want the job?
DC Studios Boss Peter Safran Could Go to Netflix
It’s easy to see why Peter Safran would be a name that Netflix would consider to take on their head of film as his career reveals a producer that not only has vast experience with franchises and filmmakers (and making sure the two work together for one vision) but working in a big studio system specifically. Even before he took on the DC Studios job, Safran was one of the architechts in getting The Conjuring franchise off the ground and making it one of the biggest horror series ever. Plus, his DC experience stretches back before his time as the studio head, producing the Aquaman and Shazam! movies.
Being not only a franchise-specific producer but one who knows how to wrangle Hollywood talent is obviously something that Netflix wants in their new Head of Film. The same report that pointed toward Safran as one of the names up for the role indicated that one reason Dan Lin may have been ousted was headbutting with high-profile filmmakers like Ben Affleck and Greta Gerwig at the streamer. Making sure talent of that caliber is not only happy working with Netflix, but willing to make a movie for them at all, is key.
Naturally, Safran is just one of the many names potentially in the mix, with the report indicating that Noah Sacco from A24; Stacey Snider, who previously ran Universal and Dreamworks; Jeff Robinov, former head at Warner Bros.; Emma Watts, former head at 20th Century Fox; and the recently fired Pamela Abdy and Michael De Luca, who ran Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group together, are all names being thrown around for the job.
All of this is to say, Safran is far from confirmed to be leaving Netflix, not only because he’s not the only name in the mix, but because he’s been clear about wanting to tell the full story that he and James Gunn originally planned for the DCU.
“It’s exciting,” Safran told recently about the new Skydance era of the company. “James and I had this bigger story that we wanted to tell when we started four years ago. We were just getting started telling it, so the fact that we now have the opportunity to do so with even more reciting for us. There’s a lot coming up.”
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