James Gunn and Peter Safran, the executives who shelved Wonder Woman 3 and rebooted DC’s superhero universe without Israeli actress Gal Gadot, are stepping down as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios after four years.
Skydance announced Monday that the pair will leave their posts on December 1. They will be replaced by former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham, who has been named president and chief creative officer of DC Studios. Latcham was involved in producing Marvel films including Iron Man and Spider-Man.
The move came as a surprise in Hollywood. Gunn and Safran had been included in Skydance’s leadership team when its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closed just a month ago. Skydance CEO David Ellison and co-CEO Ynon Kreiz thanked them in a joint statement, saying they “launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation.”
Gunn and Safran were appointed in late 2022 to rebuild DC’s film and television universe and compete with Marvel. One of their first decisions was to halt Wonder Woman 3, which director Patty Jenkins had been developing with Gadot. The new leadership also moved away from the stars of the previous era, including Henry Cavill as Superman.
Gunn has denied that DC “kicked out” Gadot. In 2023, Gadot said that after meeting with Gunn and Safran, she understood they planned to make a third Wonder Woman film together. The project never moved forward. In an interview this August, Gadot said she had not had any concrete conversations with the studio about returning to the role since then. She added that she wished whoever plays the character next would enjoy “this wonderful journey.”
Gunn and Safran are not leaving DC entirely. They will return to full-time creative work, and Gunn is still writing and directing Man of Tomorrow, the sequel to his acclaimed 2025 Superman, scheduled for release in July 2027. In a statement on Instagram, Gunn said the two are also working on another DC project that he is writing.
