The DC Cinematic Universe has suffered through its share of turbulence. Director Zack Snyder kicked off its first incarnation in 2013 with Man of Steel, but Warner Bros. phased him out after projects like 2017’s Justice League underperformed at the box office. Next, Warner Bros. Discovery hired executive Peter Safran and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn to reboot the universe, officially kicking off their new era with Superman in 2025, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel.
Now, after four years at the helm, Gunn and Safran are out, replaced by former Marvel exec Jeremy Latcham — leaving a whole lot of ongoing DC Cinematic Universe projects in the lurch.
Why are Gunn and Safran out?
And who is the new guy?
This news comes from The Hollywood Reporter. It’s too early to know whether Gunn and Safran left their positions voluntarily or were forced out, but we can assume their exit has something to do with Paramount-Skydance buying Warner Bros. Discovery in October. The new company is simply called Skydance and is overseen by David Ellison.
“James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation, resetting the foundation and building a slate we’re incredibly proud of,” Ellison said in a joint statement with his co-CEO Ynon Kreiz. “We’re grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand.”
For now, Gunn and Safran have struck a conciliatory tone. “Four years ago, we set out to unite DC under one creative vision. In that time, we helped restore Superman to the heart of DC, while opening new doors and telling new stories in film and television with Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, Lanterns and Clayface,” the duo said. “We’re immensely proud of the team that turned that ambition into something real, including the actors, crews and executives we had the opportunity to collaborate with.”
Finally, there’s Jeremy Latcham, the right-hand man to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. Latcham has credits for movies like Iron Man, The Avengers, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and James Gunn’s own Guardians of the Galaxy. “DC’s pantheon of characters is among the most iconic in American popular culture,” Latcham said. “I’ve had the privilege to help bring some of the most celebrated superhero stories to life on the big screen, and I’m excited and honored for the opportunity to now lead DC Studios into its next era.”
James Gunn and Peter Safran got the new DCU off to a good start with Superman, which was a big hit. They stumbled earlier this year with Supergirl, which was a colossal bomb. Clayface, a horror movie about the titular Batman villain, came out in October and has been a success, if not a rollicking one.
Maybe the new management was spooked by the failure of Supergirl. Maybe they didn’t want a figure as esoteric as James Gunn steering the ship, or maybe they thought it would be safer to have a Marvel exec with a proven track record running things. Whatever the reason, this could force the DC Universe back to square one, once again.
What DC projects are still coming out?
And which are in danger?
That said, there are several DC movies and TV shows already in the works that will still come out, including:
|
Title |
Details |
|---|---|
|
Man of Tomorrow |
The follow-up to Superman will be out on July 9, 2027. |
|
The Batman Part II |
Robert Pattinson returns in this sequel to 2022’s The Batman. It’s due out on February 18, 2028. |
|
Dynamic Duo |
This animated movie about Batman’s sidekick Robin will be out on September 22, 2028. |
|
Creature Commandos Season 2 |
This is the second season of James Gunn’s offbeat animated series about a motley crew of antiheroes doing risky missions for the government. There is no release date as of yet. |
|
Mister Miracle |
An animated series about the character Mister Miracle, an escape artist from the hellish planet of Apokolips. |
|
The People v. Gorilla Grodd |
One of the weirder projects in Gunn’s stable, this live-action TV show will star Superman’s Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy hosts an in-world true-crime docuseries about super-intelligent ape Gorilla Grodd, who’s accused of killing his father. |
At the least, Gunn and Safran will still be in the loop for these projects; after all, Gunn is directing Man of Tomorrow. However, there are several other movies and TV shows in early development that may well not see the light of day now, including:
|
Title |
Details |
|---|---|
|
Blue Beetle |
This animated series would continue the story of the 2023 live-action film. |
|
Harley Quinn Season 6 |
The long-running animated series aired its fifth season in 2025, and hasn’t been renewed despite star Kaley Cuoco expressing interest. |
|
Lanterns Season 2 |
HBO’s take on the Green Lantern Corps was interesting, but it hasn’t been renewed for Season 2 despite the Season 1 finale setting up additional story. |
|
Poison Ivy |
After the success of The Penguin and Lanterns, HBO was reported to be developing a live-action TV series about Batman villain Poison Ivy. |
|
Batman: The Brave and the Bold |
The Batman movies starring Robert Pattinson take place in their own separate universe, and Gunn and Safran have long promised a movie about the Caped Crusader set in their continuity. Who knows if it’ll happen now? |
|
Savage Hunters |
This live-action movie would team up the Batman villains Bane and Deathstroke. |
|
Constantine |
Francis Galluppi had been hired to write a script for a new movie about the supernaturally inclined DC superhero John Constantine. |
|
Swamp Thing |
Like Clayface and Constantine, this movie about the titular superhero/environmentalist/monster would probably have a horror vibe to it. |
|
Teen Titans |
This live-action movie about a team of younger superheroes may or may not go forward. |
|
Wonder Woman |
A new movie about Wonder Woman, one of the most famous DC superheroes, has been part of Gunn and Safran’s plans since the beginning, although firm details are hard to come by. |
10 projects, all now with rather shakier-looking futures.
Which DC Universe projects weren’t going to happen anyway?
We hardly knew ye
There are also a number of projects that were canceled (or all but canceled) before Paramount-Skydance absorbed Warner Bros.:
|
Title |
Details |
|---|---|
|
Booster Gold |
Booster Gold is a time traveler who tries to use technology from the 25th century to pass himself off as a superhero. It went through a couple of different creative teams and is currently dead in the water. |
|
Paradise Lost |
While the Wonder Woman movie may still go ahead, this show about Wonder Woman’s island home of Themyscira was scrapped. |
|
Waller |
A TV show about ruthless government operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) was originally planned to fill in some gaps between the first two seasons of Peacemaker, but it never came together. |
|
The Authority |
The Authority is a brutally pragmatic superhero team often seen as a commentary on the Justice League. In 2025, we heard that there were problems with the script. Most likely, they’ll never be resolved. |
|
Sgt. Rock |
At one point, Colin Farrell was going to star in this World War II-set action movie directed by Luca Guadagnino, but plans fell through in 2025. Given this latest changeover, it’s doubtful the project will be revived. |
James Gunn: Too weird for the room?
Looking at some of these projects, some themes emerge: James Gunn likes things that are out-of-the-way and quirky. Booster Gold, the Authority, Mister Miracle, and Gorilla Grodd are probably not the first characters that come to mind when people are asked to think about DC superheroes, but they were interesting to James Gunn.
I think that unique taste was part of what made this new DCU so interesting, but I wonder if it was too off-the-beaten-path for the new managers at Skydance. Where things go from here, we can only watch and wait.
- Release Date
-
July 9, 2027
- Director
-
James Gunn
- Writers
-
James Gunn
- Producers
-
Peter Safran, James Gunn
- Prequel(s)
-
Superman
- Franchise(s)
-
Superman, DCU
Cast
-
-
Nicholas Hoult
Lex Luthor
-
Rachel Brosnahan
Lois Lane
-
