As Hollywood reels from the shock of James Gunn and Peter Safran getting shown the door at DC Studios, the industry is trying to get a bead on how their replacement, Jeremy Latcham, will approach the job. It’s highly unlikely he’ll continue with Gunn and Safran’s development slate, though if Gunn’s “Superman” sequel, “Man of Tomorrow,” does significantly better than the first film at the box office, there could be a possibility he’ll let Gunn close out a potential trilogy. Latcham is also inheriting HBO shows like “Lanterns” and “The People v. Gorilla Grodd,” and as of this writing, neither has been greenlit for a second season.
Like most executives do when they take over a studio, Latcham is reportedly poised to wipe the slate clean and put his personal stamp on whatever comes next. Latcham is no stranger to making superhero movies. He was one of Kevin Feige’s right-hand men at Marvel Studios, where he helped his boss set the “Avengers Initiative” in motion with “Iron Man.” His track record is strong, and he’s well regarded as a no-bulls*** guy. If Skydance executive David Ellison and his production executives Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg were going to take a chance on someone who’d never run a Hollywood studio before, Latcham at least had a promising pedigree.
As for that personal stamp, it’s fair to wonder if Latcham’s strong Christian faith will impact the types of filmmakers he pursues to, presumably, make his all-new iterations of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Talking with the Bible Bros about his work for the faith-based Wonder Project, where he helped develop “Flyer” (an uplifting biopic about the Wright Brothers) and the Biblical TV series “House of David,” Latcham expressed a desire to make movies that meant something to him. How will this gibe with mainstream moviegoers, many of whom aren’t Christian?
Jeremy Latcham makes films to please his grandmother
During that BibleBros appearance, Latcham said, “Let’s be the HBO for the faith and family audience. Let’s try to make movies and television shows that restore faith in things worth believing in.” As we’ve seen over the last couple of decades, there’s definitely an audience for this. But a successful faith-based company like Angel Studios has never made a movie that’s sniffed $1 billion worldwide. Not even close.
At Marvel, Latcham was famous for asking if his grandmother would approve of certain moments or the overall themes of MCU movies. As he told the Bible Bros, “That became the stand-in for, like, ‘Is this going to work for regular people that are outside the bubble of Hollywood? Is this safe for a regular family?” He went on to say that his grandmother’s pastor gave a sermon on how “Iron Man” was an effective tale of redemption.
Right now, the clearest indication we have of how Latcham will run DC Studios comes from his Bible Bros visit, where he extolled virtues of “faith in God, obviously, faith in country, faith in family, faith in fathers, faith in all these institutions that we believe in in America. The idea of America, the idea of a democratic, free capitalist society.” He then added that he’d like to make these virtues “front and center” in his movies.
Will Latcham’s faith-based convictions mesh with mainstream moviegoers?
Latcham has strong ties with many notable filmmakers and actors who seem to genuinely like him. He certainly comes off as very likable in his interviews. But he’s got one heck of a challenge ahead of him. DC Studios is rebooting for the third time in 13 years, and moviegoers certainly have a case of superhero fatigue. They’ll show up for Batman and Spider-Man and events like an “Avengers” installment, but if you keep pulling the rug out from under your audience, they will eventually abandon you.
Matt Reeves’ “The Batman: Part II” is guaranteed to be a massive hit when it arrives in 2028, but the first film probably didn’t go down well with Latcham’s grandmother. I have no idea what a Latcham Batman will look like, but that hardcore fan base expects the Caped Crusader to go hard. Take your foot off the gas, and you might see grosses on par with “Batman & Robin.”
Latcham has the added burden of reporting to Greenstein and Goldberg, who report to CEO David Ellison, who seemingly wants broad-appeal blockbusters with as little artistry as possible. Latcham knows how this works from his Marvel Studios days, but he was just one voice in their by-committee process. He’ll assemble his own team, and we’ll just have to wait and see what that looks like. In the meantime, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of directors and stars he pursues, as well as which properties he prioritizes. He’d do well to look at Gunn’s “Superman” and go for a tone that’s tough but fun and hopeful. And while he has every right to imbue these movies with elements of his faith, he needs to be careful not to alienate people who don’t worship at his church. Because that’s a small bubble, too.