Following the news that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be stepping down from their roles as co-CEOs of DC Studios, further alleged details about their shock exit have come out, painting a picture of a strained relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery’s new parent company, Skydance.
In a new story by Borys Kit and Aaron Couch for The Hollywood Reporter, insiders suggested that Gunn and Safran felt confident they would keep their jobs following the completion of Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery last month. They had recently celebrated the launch of the horror-led Clayface, which grossed over $100 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, and Gunn just wrapped production on his Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow. Then they were paid a visit by Skydance co-CEOs David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz.
Gunn and Safran had received reassurances that their work with DC Studios would continue under the new ownership, but the Skydance co-CEOs indicated they had since changed their plans for the future of DC Studios. At the time, Gunn and Safran were planning future DC projects, including a third Superman movie and more mid-budget genre movie adaptations of DC properties like Clayface. But now those plans won’t come to fruition, and they’ll be replaced by former Marvel Studios producer Jeremy Latcham, who has also been attached to various Christian-themed productions.
An insider indicated that the ousting of Gunn and Safran has been at the works for a while, with Skydance Motion Picture Group co-chairman Josh Greenstein reaching out to Latcham sometime in the early fall. Greenstein and his co-chair Dana Goldberg reportedly had tension with Gunn and Safran, who originally reported directly to former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. Greenstein and Goldberg wanted to consolidate film project production, and the DC Studios co-CEOs were used to having the “final word” on their projects.
One insider indicated that Gunn and Safran had earned a reputation for being slow when it came to sharing their plans, slate details, and early footage with Skydance executives. Skydance chairman and CEO David Ellison also reportedly never wanted the DC Studios heads to report directly to him. Another issue was the inconsistent box office results of DC Studios, which scored a sizable hit with Superman, but produced a box office flop with Supergirl, which grossed $126 million worldwide on a budget of at least $170 million.
Gunn and Safran will still have a working relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, producing projects including The Batman Part II and the Superman spin-off mockumentary series, The People v. Gorilla Grodd. It’s unclear if Gunn will be able to complete his plans for a third Superman film, or if Skydance will instead reboot DC Studios again.
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