The DC Universe is in for a major shake-up. Following the recent merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount, the executive structure at the new parent company Skydance has shifted. Now, DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran are leaving their positions. Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham is set to take their place, according to Variety. This begs the question; is the DC Universe going to get rebooted yet again?
Gunn and Safran announced their plans for the new DC Universe in early 2023. It took some time for those plans to materialize, but they meaningfully kicked off with Superman last year. However, after the box office failure of Supergirl and the pretty darn good but not great results for Clayface, Skydance clearly felt they needed to move in a new direction. Gunn and Safran had this to say about it in a joint statement.
“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. 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. We’ve shared a creative history with Jeremy going back to Marvel, and were eager to see the perspective he brings to DCs next chapter. We’re excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love, including the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in Man of Tomorrow.”
Right now, much remains uncertain. Man of Tomorrow has a massive cast and is already in post-production. That cast includes Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart from Lanterns, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl and a mystery character played by Adria Arjona, whom many believe to be Wonder Woman. They all star alongside David Corenswet’s Superman. This is very important when it comes to whether or not Latcham and Skydance will hit the big red reset button again.
Up to this point, most of the movies and TV shows in the DCU have only featured relatively minor connectivity. No Batman actor has been cast yet. No set up for the Justice League has taken place. Granted, we don’t know what’s coming in Man of Tomorrow. Even so, if that doesn’t put any pieces into place that can’t be moved, it’s very likely that Skydance would prefer to stay the course, to some degree.
If the new brass is okay with current casting choices, they can shift around future plans when it comes to movies and TV shows. For example, they don’t have to make the recently announced Poison Ivy TV show for HBO Max. They don’t have to make James Mangold’s Swamp Thing movie if they don’t want to. Skydancecan, instead, prioritize a solo Wonder Woman movie and a new Batman movie sooner rather than later. They could just do this using what Gunn and Safran already had in place as a springboard.
Various reports have indicated that Skydance wants to focus more on A-list characters more quickly, namely Batman and Wonder Woman. Right now, The Batman Part II is in production after multiple setbacks. However, Robert Pattinson’s Batman won’t be part of the current DC Universe. The Matt Reeves universe is its own thing. Gunn intended to introduce the new Batman in a movie titled The Brave and the Bold, but that doesn’t even have a release date currently.
Assuming everyone can get along, the most likely scenario is for Latcham and Skydance to use the actors Gunn and Safran have in place. They are undoubtedly going to heavily alter the plans that were in place for the DCU though. So it may not be a full-on reboot but things are going to change. That much is certain.
Man of Tomorrow is set to hit theaters on July 9, 2027.
What do you think? Are you bummed that Gunn and Safran are leaving DC Studios? Or would you prefer to see things go in another direction? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Instagram!
