DC Studios’ Biggest Superhero Movie Priorities After James Gunn’s Exit Explained

The DC Universe on film is once again under new management, as Warner Bros.’ new parent company Skydance has replaced DC Studios co-presidents James Gunn and Peter Safran with Marvel Studios’ alum Jeremy Latcham. The reasons for Gunn and Safran’s exit are still under scrutiny, but it seems inevitable that whatever plans they had for DC are now going to shift.

According to reporting by The Wrap, Skydance CEO David Ellison is pushing Latcham to focus on DC’s A-list characters and get a “Justice League” movie out “as soon as possible.” The Wrap adds that even “modestly-known” DC heroes like Supergirl won’t be getting the greenlight for now. (The poor box office of “Supergirl” didn’t help her specific case.)

One hypothesis for Gunn and Safran’s departure, which looks more plausible in light of this reporting, is that they weren’t focusing enough on those A-list DC characters. Sure, they started with Superman, but DCU Batman and Wonder Woman movies never moved past development prior to their departure. Making “Clayface,” a movie about a B-list Batman villain, before introducing Batman himself is one of those decisions that would be ridiculous to imagine, except it actually happened. It’s also a meme among DC fans that Gunn’s DCU was frontloading Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) yet hadn’t even introduced the full DC Trinity yet.

But leopards can’t change their spots. Gunn’s passion for superheroes has always been reinventing C-list characters. Directing for Marvel Studios, he made the Guardians of the Galaxy into household names, and across those movies, it’s clear the character he loved most was the biggest oddball among oddballs, Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper). He first came to DC directing “The Suicide Squad,” and he even packed “Superman” with more obscure DC heroes like Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).

In an irony worthy of Alanis Morissette, it appears James Gunn’s DCU was finally getting to those A-list characters that David Ellison wants spotlighted. “Lanterns” introduced John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as Green Lantern, who will be returning in “Superman” sequel “Man of Tomorrow.” It’s also practically an open secret that Adria Arjona is playing Wonder Woman in “Man of Tomorrow.” New reporting suggests that Gunn had also begun writing his third “Superman” movie and was considering tweaking it to a Justice League movie.

Now, I’ve speculated in the past that if/when Gunn got to the Justice League, he would be basing it on the 1980s comic run “Justice League International” by J.M. DeMatteis, Kevin Maguire and Keith Giffen. That run is basically the blueprint for every James Gunn superhero movie, as it took C-List characters (Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner Green Lantern, Fire and Ice, etc.) and made their adventures more of a workplace comedy. The JLI was headed up by businessman Maxwell Lord, who appears in “Superman” (played by Sean Gunn) sponsoring the proto Justice League.

But I wouldn’t expect that now. DC Studios’ “Justice League” movie will surely feature the A-listers: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquaman. By largely holding off on those characters, Gunn and Safran may have given Jeremy Latcham more leeway to mold the DCU’s headliners.

Now, it’s still unclear if DC Studios will do a full continuity reboot or merely a creative pivot. If the latter, it’s plausible Corenswet’s Superman stays. If Adria Arjona is indeed playing Wonder Woman, a swift recast would probably be awkward, too.

“Lanterns” was also a huge hit for HBO, and TheWrap explicitly names Green Lantern as one of the A-List characters DC Studios is prioritizing. Does that mean Pierre’s John Stewart will get a movie?

As for Batman, DC Studios has been in a tight bind with their cash cow the last half-decade. Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” commissioned by the previous regime, hit theaters in March 2022, months before James Gunn and Peter Safran’s hiring. Gunn was extremely accommodating to Reeves, even as “The Batman Part II” faced numerous scheduling delays. (Reeves has reportedly been dealing with a family crisis, hence him stepping away from shooting “The Batman Part II” as Steven Soderbergh takes over as a stand-in.)

I’m personally grateful we’re seeing “The Batman Part II” finished and on Reeves’ terms. But the sharper business move would’ve been to reboot or make Robert Pattinson’s Batman part of the DCU. Gunn did neither, only announcing a “Batman” movie, “The Brave and the Bold” in 2023 that never really got rolling. I’d say, now, though, there’s a better than likely chance that Reeves and Pattinson’s “Batman” series ends with “Part II” to clear the way for a DCU Batman.

So what about the other in-development projects at DC that spotlighted smaller characters, i.e. “Swamp Thing” and the Bane & Deathstroke team-up movie? I think it’s a fair bet those are dead. The announced “Teen Titans” movie is a toss-up — the 2003 “Teen Titans” cartoon remains a cultural touchstone for younger millennials and older Gen Zers, but the team might still fit into the “modestly known” box like Supergirl apparently does.

For better or worse, DC fans should expect to see the Justice League back onscreen sooner rather than later.