James Gunn Will Stay on as Head of DC Studios If Paramount Buys Warner Bros.
It looks like DC Studios will stay in safe and familiar hands if Paramount ends up purchasing Warner Bros. According to a new report, Paramount CEO and controlling shareholder David Ellison plans to keep James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge of DC Studios if the massive entertainment merger goes through.
Bloomberg reports that Ellison, who also founded Skydance Media before merging it with Paramount in August, wants to maintain the creative leadership teams at both Paramount and Warner Bros., including DC Studios.
That means Ellison has no intention of shaking up the creative side of things, which is great news for fans of Gunn’s new DC Universe slate that’s just starting to take shape. Of course, if Gunn isn’t comfortable with the new owners, he could always decide to leave on his own.
If the deal is finalized, Paramount would take control of a huge lineup of entertainment brands under Warner Bros. Discovery, including Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO, CNN, TNT Sports, Cartoon Network, and of course, DC Studios. While those creative divisions would reportedly remain intact, other aspects like marketing and distribution are expected to be streamlined under the new ownership.
Gunn and Safran were brought in as co-heads of DC Studios back in 2022 after years of ups and downs for Warner Bros.’ superhero movies. Since then, Gunn has been building a new connected DC Universe and it launched with Superman, which he both wrote and directed.
On the streaming front, Ellison reportedly plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount Plus into one platform. There are currently no plans to sell off any of the cable networks owned by either company.
Ellison, whose producing credits include Top Gun: Maverick, also has big ambitions for theatrical releases, aiming for up to 30 films a year from the combined studios. He’s even exploring new technologies like AI to help increase production and innovation across the board.
The road to this potential merger has been a long one. Earlier in October 2025, it was revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery was considering selling, and Paramount Skydance quickly emerged as a serious contender.
According to Bloomberg, Paramount has already made three unsolicited offers for Warner Bros. over the past month, though all were initially rejected.
Now that Warner Bros. has officially announced it’s up for sale, Paramount is reportedly confident that a deal could pass both corporate and government approval.
If everything comes together, DC Studios could continue thriving under James Gunn’s creative leadership.