James Gunn has released a separate, lengthy statement amid the news that he and co-CEO Peter Safran are no longer the heads of DC Studios.
"There have been so many highs along the way: releasing Superman and Clayface, making Peacemaker, reading the scripts to The People Vs., the entire process of Man of Tomorrow, which thus far has been the best filmmaking experience of my life, and numerous other moments," Gunn wrote on his personal Instagram account.
Gunn also lamented that he "disliked the at-times corporate nature of the job" and had the "most difficulty" with "dividing my time between projects I’m incredibly passionate about and the ones I’m not so much and all the things I have to do as a studio head."
"So, yes, I will miss the people around me, and I will miss being the co-caretaker of these great characters, but I'm also incredibly relieved and excited to get back to pure filmmaking. That's not to say Peter and I are immediately done with DC or superheroes. We have Man of Tomorrow out this summer. And we've just been engaged on another DC project which I'm writing, and we'll see where it goes after that. And of course, the characters we set up will live on." You can read the full statement below.
The statement comes amid the shocking news that Gunn and Safran would be replaced by former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham, effective December 1. The duo was first appointed to the position back in 2022, having released three movies: Superman, Supergirl, and Clayface, and four TV shows: Creature Commandos, Peacemaker season 2, The Penguin, and Lanterns, over the last four years. Still to come are Man of Tomorrow, The People V Gorilla Grodd, Creature Commandos season 2, and the long-awaited The Batman: Part II.
Of course, this change is no doubt part of the Skydance merger, which sees Paramount in full control of Warner Bros. and everything Warner Bros. owns. It's worth noting that, before Gunn and Safran were appointed, Warner Bros. executives reportedly wanted an overhaul of DC in favor of putting classic heroes back at the forefront and making them a bit less dark/more kid-friendly. That said, it's possible that Skydance executives want fewer projects like The People v. Gorilla Grodd and Creature Commandos, and more big-hitters on screen, like Wonder Woman or Aquaman... and finally Batman (who still only exists as part of Matt Reeves' Elseworlds; the DCU has yet to cast a Batman). It also probably doesn't help that Supergirl was a massive critical and commercial failure.
Man of Tomorrow hits theaters on July 9, 2027. For more, here are all the upcoming DC movies and shows announced before Gunn's departure.
