David Ellison Was Reportedly Plotting James Gunn’s DC Studios Exit Before the Skydance Merger
Hollywood loves a good corporate shake-up, but this one sounds particularly ruthless. James Gunn and Peter Safran were still running DC Studios, building their new DC Universe, and appearing to have the support of their future bosses. Meanwhile, David Ellison was reportedly already talking to the guy he wanted to replace them.
According to a new report from TheWrap, Ellison had been discussing a potential DC Studios leadership change with former Marvel producer Jeremy Latcham more than a month before the Skydance merger officially closed on October 6, 2026.
That means Gunn and Safran's days at DC Studios may have been numbered long before Ellison officially took control of Warner Bros.
The timing makes this whole situation especially interesting. Safran attended a Skydance press event celebrating the completed merger, while Gunn was prominently featured on the company's executive leadership list. From the outside, everything looked like business as usual.
Apparently, Ellison had other ideas. An insider claims conversations with Latcham were already underway well before that event, suggesting the decision to replace DC Studios' leadership wasn't some sudden reaction to the merger. Ellison reportedly had his sights set on a different direction for DC before he even had the keys to Warner Bros.
Things get even messier when it comes to how Gunn and Safran found out they were getting the boot. Three people familiar with the situation claim the pair learned they were being removed less than 24 hours before the official announcement.
Two other insiders dispute that timeline, saying Gunn and Safran were informed the preceding Friday. Either way, it's a pretty brutal way to end their run at DC Studios, especially considering how much work they had already put into rebuilding the franchise.
As for Latcham, he's hardly some random executive being handed the keys to DC's superhero kingdom. He spent years working alongside Kevin Feige at Marvel Studios and has some serious superhero credentials.
His producing credits include Iron Man, The Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy. He also helped develop Avengers: Age of Ultron and Spider-Man: Homecoming. At the same time, people are concerned over comments he made in the past about how he wants the kinds of superhero movies his grandma would like.
Of course, knowing how to make Marvel movies doesn't automatically mean someone can fix DC. We've already seen Warner Bros. spend years trying to figure out what its superhero universe should look like, and constantly changing leadership hasn't exactly helped.
Gunn and Safran had finally started putting their DCU plans into motion with Creature Commandos and Superman, laying the foundation for a connected universe across movies and television.
Now Latcham inherits the responsibility of steering DC Studios into its next chapter, including determining what happens to the creative direction Gunn and Safran established.
The big question is how much of their vision will survive under the new leadership. There's already been a tremendous amount of creative work invested in the DCU, and another major course correction could leave fans wondering what the hell Warner Bros. is doing.
What's particularly crazy about this report is that Ellison apparently wasn't waiting to see how things played out under Gunn and Safran. If the insider's account is trie, he was already working toward replacing them before the merger was finalized.
That's some cold-blooded Hollywood business.
Now DC Studios has another Marvel veteran calling the shots, and fans are left waiting to see whether Latcham will build on what Gunn started or take the DC Universe somewhere completely different.
For a franchise that's spent years trying to find its footing, another change at the top is a hell of a gamble.