James Gunn and Peter Safran are DC Studios’ new co-CEOs

Warner Bros. was finally able to hire a new leader for its Marvel Studios division after months of searching. Discovery has selected James Gunn as director and Peter Safran as producer to lead its DC Studios division.

It seemed at times that Warner Bros. Discovery Was looking for Dan Lin to lead DC StudiosDavid Zaslav, CEO of the company, announced today that Gunn, and Safran, were selected by it as co-chairs, and co-CEOs, of the division. He will also supervise all of its television and film projects. In a statement about the surprising move, Zaslav expressed confidence in Gunn and Safran’s “singular and complementary talents” and excitement at the idea of them shaping the future of WBD’s various superhero offerings.

“Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling,” Zaslav said.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. Discovery’s plan for DC Studios is to have Gunn guiding the division’s creative vision while Safran will be tasked with keeping an eye on money and production. According to reports, both Gunn and Safran will answer directly to Zaslav. They will continue to direct and produce things as part of their leadership roles over the four-year-long agreement. In Gunn’s case, he will be working exclusively with DC, an interesting development given his connection to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. 

In a statement of their own about becoming the new arbiters of DC Studios’ future Gunn and Safran stated that they’re particularly interested in creating “an integrated, multilayered universe” project that “still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved.”

“We’re honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we’ve loved since we were children,” the duo said. “Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. “