David Zaslav Praises James Gunn After DC Studios Firing, and Fans Absolutely Tear Him Apart

James Gunn is out at DC Studios, and the guy who helped put him in charge is now getting absolutely roasted by fans for publicly praising him.

Former Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav thought he was offering a nice farewell to the filmmaker, but DC fans weren't interested in hearing it from the man who sold the studio to Paramount Skydance.

Gunn's departure as DC Studios co-CEO has been a frustrating development for fans who were invested in his plans for the DC Universe. While the Superman director suggested that leaving was his decision, it certainly looks like Skydance CEO David Ellison had other ideas about the studio's future.

However, a report from The Wall Street Journal indicated that Gunn might have been heading for the exit anyway. In his farewell statement, the filmmaker admitted that running DC Studios had taken a serious toll on him.

"What only the closest people to me have known over the past four years is my time at DC Studios has been trying, to say the least," wrote Gunn. "I dislike the at-times corporate nature of the job (thanks to Peter for taking the brunt of that)."

He continued: "I’m always a very hard worker, but as a filmmaker I would at least get to take short breaks to unwind, and I’ve stolen even that time from both myself and my loved ones over the past four years (Jenn, I love you and I’m sorry and you don’t need to feel guilty for being the happiest of all people that I’m no longer doing this job)."

Making superhero movies is one thing. Dealing with Hollywood executives, corporate politics, and the business side of running a studio is an entirely different beast.

Following the announcement, Gunn received plenty of support from people across the entertainment industry, including Zaslav, who originally hired Gunn and Peter Safran to lead DC Studios.

Zaslav jumped into the comments on Gunn's Instagram farewell post to share his appreciation, saying: “We’re all grateful you took the job, James. You’re an extraordinary leader and a great creative, and your storytelling and creative vision for DC was magical. Can’t wait for everyone to see the exceptional Man of Tomorrow … Best time together James.”

Gunn liked the comment, but fans weren't about to let Zaslav walk away with a friendly pat on the back.

The replies came in hot, with angry fans pointing directly at Zaslav's decision to sell Warner Bros. Discovery to Paramount Skydance, a deal that ultimately put Gunn's DC Studios leadership in jeopardy.

“EXCUSE ME? This is all your fault for selling Warner Bros. knowing what was gonna happen. Spare us, please,” one fan wrote. Another wasn't interested in being diplomatic: “F–k you. Bro thinks he’s on the team.”

Others piled on with “This is YOUR fault!” and “You’re a [buffoon]. In the year that the studio made the most profit, you wanted to sell … go to hell.”

Zaslav probably wasn't expecting his supportive Instagram comment to turn into a public ass-kicking. But here's the thing. As easy as it is to blame Zaslav for everything, Ellison is the one who ultimately made the decision to change DC Studios' leadership. We don't know whether Zaslav had any reason to believe Gunn and Safran would be pushed out after the sale.

He could very well have expected them to remain in charge, I mean, Ellison said they would stay in their positions! That doesn't make the fans' frustration any less understandable, especially when they've spent years watching Warner Bros. repeatedly change direction with its DC properties.

Unfortunately, Gunn's departure could also mean the end of some fan-favorite characters, including John Cena's Christopher Smith. In a separate Instagram interaction, Gunn liked a comment suggesting that fans "will never see Peacemaker again."

That's hardly an official announcement, but it certainly isn't encouraging. When Peacemaker Season 2 ended, Christopher Smith was stranded on Salvation, a prison planet where Rick Flag Sr. had left him trapped. The ending clearly left room for Gunn to continue the character's story and bring back the 11th Street Kids.

Now those plans appear to be in serious trouble. With Jeremy Latcham taking over DC Studios under Skydance, there's no indication that he'll be interested in continuing Gunn's unfinished storylines or bringing back those characters.

That's what makes this whole situation so irritating. Gunn spent four years helping establish a new direction for DC, only for another corporate shake-up to throw its future into question. At least fans still have Man of Tomorrow to look forward to, which Zaslav himself described as exceptional.

Whether Gunn's version of the DC Universe has any future beyond that remains to be seen.