James Gunn has confirmed that he is stepping down as co-head of DC Studios, bringing his four-year tenure in the leadership role to an end. The filmmaker announced the decision in a statement shared online, saying he plans to return to focusing entirely on filmmaking rather than managing the studio.
The announcement follows an earlier report from The Hollywood Reporter that Gunn and fellow DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran were leaving their positions. The report also named former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham as their replacement.
Opening his statement with “Oh, boy. What a four years,” Gunn thanked everyone who supported him and Safran during their time running DC Studios. He reflected on growing up in Manchester, Missouri, where he wrote and illustrated his own comic books featuring DC characters alongside his original creations.
Gunn said having the opportunity to work with those characters was a childhood dream come true. Although he initially had doubts about accepting the leadership position, he said he was glad he took the job.
Looking back on his time at DC Studios, Gunn highlighted Superman, Clayface, Peacemaker, the scripts for The People Vs, and the production of Man of Tomorrow as some of his career highlights. He described Man of Tomorrow as the best filmmaking experience of his life so far.
He also praised Safran, calling him “the smartest and most competent person I know.”
Gunn acknowledged that running DC Studios had been demanding, particularly because of the corporate responsibilities involved. He credited Safran with handling much of that side of the business but said the position had also taken away the breaks he would normally have between filmmaking projects.
The filmmaker apologized to his loved ones for the time he had lost and explained that his ADHD hyperfocus made it especially difficult to divide his attention between creative projects and his responsibilities as a studio executive.
Despite the challenges, Gunn said he would miss the people he worked with and his role in overseeing DC’s characters. He described himself as “incredibly relieved and excited” about returning to filmmaking full-time.
Gunn also made clear that his departure from DC Studios leadership does not mean he is finished working with the company. Man of Tomorrow is scheduled to release in summer 2027, and Gunn revealed that he and Safran have recently become involved in another DC project that he is writing.
“The characters we set up will live on,” Gunn said.
