Paramount’s Plans for James Gunn and DC Studios After Warner Bros. Merger Reportedly Revealed
After James Gunn and Peter Safran scored wins with Superman and Peacemaker Season 2, Supergirl came crashing into theaters with a disappointing $126.3 million worldwide. That put it below notorious superhero flops like Morbius and The Flash and immediately raised questions about the future of DC Studios.
Throw Paramount’s impending acquisition of Warner Bros. into the equation, and those questions get much bigger. Would new ownership clean house at DC Studios? Would Gunn and Safran survive the merger? According to a new report, Paramount currently has no intention of kicking them out.
The Wrap reports that if the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger receives final approval, Paramount plans to keep Gunn and Safran running DC Studios. The company also reportedly intends to retain other major Warner Bros. executives, including Michael De Luca, Pam Abdy, and Richard Brener.
For DC fans who have been wondering whether Gunn’s DCU could suddenly find itself under new management, this is encouraging news.
Gunn and Safran’s contracts have reportedly been approaching their expiration dates, either this year or next, which has only fueled speculation about what happens next. Safran recently expressed confidence in the DCU plan following Supergirl’s disappointing theatrical run, but a corporate merger creates an entirely different kind of uncertainty.
Paramount apparently wants continuity rather than a massive executive shakeup. At least, that’s the plan right now.
The important part here is that nothing is guaranteed until the acquisition closes and new contracts are signed. Paramount has plenty of reasons to signal stability while the deal remains unfinished.
Once the company actually takes control, the performance of DC’s upcoming movies and shows could have a major influence on whether those plans remain intact.
Supergirl can ultimately be written off as one expensive stumble if the rest of the DCU keeps delivering. Gunn and Safran already have several successes to point toward. Creature Commandos, Superman, Peacemaker Season 2, and now Lanterns have all been well received.
Lanterns gave DC Studios an especially important win this month, arriving to critical acclaim while reportedly breaking DC viewership records. Its success also supports one of the more interesting aspects of Gunn and Safran’s approach to the DCU.
These projects don’t all need to look, sound, or feel the same. Like DC Comics itself, the universe can jump between very different genres and styles while remaining connected.
That approach is about to get a horror-fueled test with Clayface. The R-rated body horror movie arrives this October with a reported production budget of only $40 million.
It’s leaning into terror and gore rather than trying to become another massive four-quadrant superhero spectacle, which gives DC Studios a chance to show how flexible this universe can really be.
That smaller budget also puts Clayface in a much better financial position than a comic book movie costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The bigger test, however, is Man of Tomorrow. The upcoming Superman film recently wrapped principal photography and features a large ensemble of superheroes, positioning it as one of the DCU’s biggest cinematic events yet.
Its story will also put Superman and Lex Luthor in the unusual position of teaming up, with Brainiac entering the picture as a major threat.
Gunn has plenty of experience managing large groups of comic book characters without losing the personalities that make them fun, so Man of Tomorrow has a lot going for it. More importantly for Paramount, it could provide a clear indication of how much theatrical momentum Gunn’s DCU actually has.
If Man of Tomorrow becomes a major hit and surpasses Superman at the box office, it would be difficult to argue for changing DC Studios leadership. If it disappoints, particularly after Supergirl, Paramount executives could start looking at things differently.
Paramount appears ready to inherit Gunn and Safran’s DC Studios rather than immediately rebuild it. Based on what the DCU has produced so far, there’s a reasonable case for giving them the room to continue.
The next few releases could decide just how comfortable Paramount feels with that decision. Clayface gets the next shot this October, while Man of Tomorrow could become the project that ultimately locks Gunn and Safran into DC’s future.
For now, though, Gunn’s DCU isn’t headed for a post-merger reboot. Paramount reportedly wants to keep the people currently steering the ship exactly where they are.