The directors and producers, who have worked with both Marvel and DC, will lead the new production company starting November 1
Newly launched production company DC Studios, DC’s superhero counterpart to Marvel Studios, has new co-heads and co-CEOs: James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Gunn and Safran, producers of titles at Marvel and DC, are chosen by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) to lead the new production house. Both will report directly to David Zaslav, CEO of WBD.
As a director, Gunn has an extensive track record that includes Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, the third installment of which. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3, will be released in May 2023. Marvel Studios recently announced that Gunn also directed the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special, set to premiere later this year on Disney+.
Gunn has also been a part of the DC superhero universe, with the successful sequel to The Suicide Squad and the HBO Max series Peacemaker.
Safran, meanwhile, is a producer who also has a run with DC, having worked on Aquaman. His relationship with WBD includes a closed deal with his company, The Safran Company.
“[Gunn and Safran’s] decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the world make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy in film, television, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling,” Zaslav, CEO of WBD, commented on the announcement.
“We look forward to collaborating with the world’s most talented writers, directors and actors to create a multi-layered, integrated universe that still allows for individual expression by the artists involved,” Gunn and Safran said in a joint statement.
“Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn and the rest of DC’s characters is only matched by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility that these characters represent.”
This news is shocking considering the severe cost cutting that WBD is going through, including the cancellation of the premiere of the Batgirl movie, originally planned as part of the DC Universe.
