James Gunn will be the new CEO of DC Studios with producer Peter Safran

The ten-year plan inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe that Warner Bros. wants to set up with the DC Extended Universe already has someone to guide it, or rather who. James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been chosen by David Zaslav as co-chairs and CEO of DC Studios. Not one CEO, it seems we need two for such a long-term project after Walter Hamada’s resignation.

Gunn and Safran, who will take office on November 1, Together they will oversee the creative direction of the UEDC in both film and television and animation. They will report to Zaslav, head of Warner Bros Discovery, as well as Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs of the Warner Bros Film Group, on the issues of marketing, distribution and budget. They will also work alongside Casey Bloys, President and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content; Channing Dungey, president of the Warner Bros. Television Group; Kathleen Finch, President and Chief Content Officer, US Networks Group; Pam Lifford, president of Warner Bros. Discovery Consumer Products; and David Haddad, president of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The entire Warner Bros + DC conglomerate will work as a team from now on and row in the same direction.

Although another of the names that was put on the table was Dan Lin (“The LEGO Movie”), according to Deadline, Warner’s first choice was Safran, but the producer wanted to have someone with a creative view of the universe by his side while he took care of the practical part. It seems that he himself chose Gunn, with whom he has previously worked on ‘The Peacemaker’ and ‘The Suicide Squad’. Safran is also producer of “Aquaman” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”; Shazam! it’s Shazam! The fury of the gods’; and outside of DC, he is a producer of the “Warren Files” saga, including “Annabelle: Creation”, “The Nun”, “The Nun 2” and soon “The Crooked Man”, so he already has experience building a shared universe.

“DC has some of the funniest, most powerful and iconic characters in the world and I am thrilled to have the unique and complementary talents of James and Peter join our top-tier team and oversee the creative direction of the historic DC universe.”Zaslav said in a statement, “His decades of film experience, his close ties to the creative community and his proven track record that has wowed superhero fans around the world, qualify them uniquely to develop a long-term strategy across film, television and animation and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling. ”Gunn and Safran added: “We are honored to be the new stewards of these DC characters that we have loved since we were kids. We look forward to collaborating with the world’s most talented writers, directors and actors to create an integrated, multi-layered 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 characters is only matched by our commitment to the wonderful human possibilities these characters represent. We are thrilled to reinvigorate the cinematic experience around the world as we tell some of the greatest, most beautiful and greatest stories ever told. We are particularly excited to do all of this with Mike, Pam, Casey, Channing and the entire Warner Bros. Discovery team. and we’re grateful to David Zaslav, whose bold vision for the future of the franchise we share, for giving us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Above all, we look forward to bringing you all into the history of the DCEU. ”

Exclusivity

This new position comes with an exclusive contract for Gunn, that after the premiere of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” he will no longer be able to work with Marvel / Disney. gunn is now “property” of Warner Bros Discovery / DC and only they will be able to direct, write and produce films and series from now on.

This requirement would also have been one of the reasons Lin would be excluded, as he has a very complex deal with Universal Studios. Zaslav wants DC to have a creative and commercial face that resembles Kevin Feige’s figure with Marvel. Zaslav just needs to find the new boss or boss of Warner Bros. Animation.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” will be released in theaters on May 5, 2023although we will first see the Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas special this year on Disney +.