James Gunn and Peter Safran will be at the helm of the newly formed DC Studios starting from November 1, 2022. The two have been appointed as co-chairmen and chief executive officers of the studio. In their roles, Gunn and Safran will spearhead the development of DC Comics’ properties as well as manage the execution of long-term plans. 

While the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker will take charge of the creative side, Safran will manage the business side of things. The two of them will report to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav. 

DC Studios will replace the current DC Films division which is currently headed by Walter Hamada, who quit the studio last week. 

Also Read | The Witcher Remake in Unreal Engine 5: All you need to know

What is DC Studios?

DC Studios is a rebranded version of DC Films, a subsidiary of Warner Bros, which in itself is a division of the parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. 

The newly formed studio is a production company that is involved in making films that are based on characters from the DC Comics franchise. 

What started out as DC Films was first brought into being in 2016, following the contentious reception of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Soon after, the DC Film franchise was brought under the newly created DC Films division founded by Warner Bros  executive vice president Jon Berg. DC Comic’s Chief Content Officer Geoff Johns was also brought on board. 

The studio put out Justice League in 2017 with its biggest budget yet at $300 million, but the film made only $96 million on its opening weekend. Eventually, after some negotiations, Berg stepped down from his role with Walter Hamada replacing him in 2018.

By 2022, Warner Bros Discovery had merged and the new CEO David Zaslav was looking for a way to have a creative leader much like the MCU’s Kevin Fiege. Soon after, Batgirl was cancelled by the newly formed behemoth with Hamada not being informed. He stayed on until the release of Black Adam but Hamada left two days before the release of the film. 

Finally, in October 2022, DC Studios was formed, giving Gunn and Safran control of the newly formed studio. The two will effectively take over from November 1.