Filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran will lead DC’s film, TV and animation efforts as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, a newly formed division at Warner Bros. that will replace DC Films.

Gunn will focus on the creative side, while Safran will focus on the business and production side of things. Both are expected to continue to direct and produce projects, respectively. They will report directly to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, and work closely with Warners film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy.

Sources say the deal runs four years and Gunn will be exclusive to DC. The goal is for them not just to be producers, but to truly function as executives even as Gunn will occasionally hone a movie.

Zaslav in a statement:

“DC has among the most entertaining, powerful, and iconic characters in the world and I am thrilled to have the singular and complementary talents of James and Peter joining our world-class team and overseeing the creative direction of the storied DC Universe. 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.”

Gunn and Safran said in a statement:

“We’re honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we’ve loved since we were children. We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved. 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. We’re excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told.”

De Luca and Abdy said in a statement:

“We could not be more excited to have James Gunn and Peter Safran join the team and assume the leadership of the DC Universe.

James is a brilliant filmmaker and storyteller and Peter is a tremendously successful and prolific producer and to have them both committing to work together to forge this new era for DC is a literal dream come true. We all share a very similar sensibility and passion for this universe and the stars couldn’t have aligned any better. We can’t wait to get started, dig in, and collaborate with these unmatched creative minds.”

Gunn is one of the more respected minds in the world of comic book filmmaking and became an A-list filmmaker in 2014 with Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy and its 2017 sequel. He jumped to DC in 2018 to develop The Suicide Squad after rival Marvel fired him as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. (The studio later reinstated him, and that project is due out in May 2023.) His DC foray The Suicide Squad was critically adored, and spawned the hit HBO Max spinoff Peacemaker, starring John Cena. Gunn is currently working on a second season.

Safran came up as a manager, where Gunn was among his clients, and is fully enmeshed in the world of DC as producer of the $1 billion grossing Aquaman and its upcoming sequel, as well as Squad, Peacemaker and Shazam! and it’s sequel. His relationship with Warners extends back ten years and includes the $2 billion Conjuring horror franchise.

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