James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Studios Exit Has Fans Demanding Zack Snyder’s Return
Well, that didn't take long! As you know, James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-CEOs of DC Studios, and of course, Zack Snyder fans have already started campaigning to bring back the SnyderVerse.
The news marks the end of Gunn and Safran's four-year run leading DC Studios, and the reaction online has been exactly what you'd expect. Some fans are wondering what this means for the future of the DCU, while others see it as another opportunity to get Zack Snyder back in charge of DC's superheroes.
Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham will take over as DC Studios' new president and chief creative officer on December 1. Gunn and Safran are leaving their leadership roles but will remain involved with select projects, including Man of Tomorrow, The People v. Gorilla Grodd, and The Batman: Part II.
The announcement quickly made its way across social media, with one widely shared caption reading: “James Gunn and Peter Safran will no longer run DC Studios. Jeremy Latcham, who previously served as a producer at Marvel Studios, is taking over DC.”
Naturally, Snyder's name came up almost immediately. Fans who have spent years calling for the restoration of his DC universe saw the leadership change as another chance to push for the return of the filmmaker's vision, which began with Man of Steel and continued through Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice League.
One fan, J_Bandz1st, celebrated the news, writing, “It was expected after 10 straight flops. Snyder sends his regards.” Another user, Heyitsmeuzi_, made their feelings pretty clear: “I’m tired of this; just give me Zack Snyder’s DC, bro.”
Of course, not everyone was thrilled about the SnyderVerse crowd jumping back into the conversation. bigmonkeong warned, “cbm twitter is about to be on a level of toxicity we’ve never seen before, get ready for snyder fans ??.” Meanwhile, djodjeee_ responded, “The Snyder cultists won, I’m done.”
Look, Snyder fans are going to take absolutely any opportunity they can to campaign for his return to DC. A leadership change, a new executive, a movie underperforming, it doesn't matter. If there's even the slightest possibility of Snyder returning, you can bet someone will be posting #RestoreTheSnyderVerse.
It's almost become a tradition at this point. What's funny about the ongoing fan rivalry is that Gunn and Snyder themselves have maintained a friendly professional relationship. Gunn wrote Snyder's 2004 directorial debut, Dawn of the Dead, and Snyder publicly supported Gunn's Superman movie.
The filmmakers don't appear to have the same issues with each other that some of their fans do. There's absolutely nothing suggesting Snyder is actually returning to DC Studios. Latcham is taking over, and there's been no indication that reviving the SnyderVerse is part of his plans.
But, if Skydance wanted to bring Snyder back into the DC fold, I'd rather see him get the chance to make the The Dark Knight Returns movie he's wanted to make.
Forget trying to resurrect the entire SnyderVerse or reconnect all those unfinished storylines. Just give Snyder the opportunity to make his own standalone adaptation of Frank Miller's classic Batman comic. An older, battle-hardened Batman coming out of retirement, with Snyder bringing his visual style and action sensibilities to the material, could be pretty awesome.
That sounds a lot more interesting to me than restarting the same arguments about the SnyderVerse all over again. Either way, DC Studios is heading into another major transition, and fans are already fighting over what should come next.