DC Studios Overhauls Leadership After Mixed Box‑Office Performance

DC Studios' co‑heads James Gunn and Peter Safran have been dismissed and replaced by former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham as president and chief creative officer. The change follows a year‑and‑a‑half of under‑whelming returns despite a high‑budget launch of "Superman" last summer, which earned $618 million against a $225 million budget. Their next release, "Supergirl," fell short with $126 million globally versus a $170 million budget, and "Clayface" is projected to break even only after ancillary revenues. Insiders say the duo focused on lesser‑known characters like Kara El‑Zor and the Batman villain Clayface instead of marquee heroes, a strategy that failed to generate the sustained enthusiasm needed for an interconnected universe. Former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav had praised the “bold 10‑year plan” of Gunn and Safran after the initial Superman opening, but the plan unraveled as the studio struggled to compete with Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Their exit was not unexpected; they had been promised a role on David Ellison’s Skydance leadership team after Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of WBD closed in October, only to face a reporting shift that would have demoted them under Skydance Motion Picture Group chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein. Television results were mixed: "The Penguin" was greenlit before their tenure, while the second season of Gunn’s "Peacemaker" and the crime drama "Lanterns" failed to capture strong audience interest. Gunn acknowledged the difficulty of juggling creative and corporate duties in a post on X after his departure. The pair will stay involved, with Gunn directing "Superman: Man of Tomorrow" next summer and co‑producing the 2027 series "The People v. Gorilla Grodd" and a new season of "Creature Commandos". ## Context The shake‑up highlights how big budgets and star‑studded casts do not guarantee franchise success, and underscores the industry’s ongoing debate over whether to build universes around well‑known icons or explore newer characters.