Superman Director James Gunn Explains Departure As DC Studios Co-Head

When the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger was completed a little over a month ago, questions about the direction of the newly-established mega company Skydance, the formation of which required massive investments from Elon Musk, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, were myriad. For moviegoers, one of the biggest concerns was the future of the DC Universe. Co-executives James Gunn and Peter Safran had been at the helm for four years, and the results were mixed. Gunn's "Superman" was a blockbuster, while "Peacemaker," "Creature Commandos," "Lanterns," and "Clayface" were popular with fans. They stumbled badly with Craig Gillespie's critical and commercial flop "Supergirl," but a course correction seemed to be on the horizon with the Man of Steel sequel "Man of Tomorrow."

Evidently, something or someone changed Ellison's mind over the last month because Gunn and Safran are out. It's a stunning reversal of fortune for the duo, but at least Gunn and Safran had time to write a statement. Here's the most relevant part:

"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 [new DC Studios head] Jeremy [Latcham] going back to Marvel, and we're eager to see the perspective he brings to DC's 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.'"