There has been a lot of chatter at Warner Bros. Discovery about who will lead the DC films and television division moving forward. After Walter Hamada's exit as head of DC Films, the studio was on the lookout for the perfect replacement. It has just been confirmed that director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been brought on board to run DC Studios, the newly formed division that will be replacing DC Films.

The news of Gunn and Safran becoming the new co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios has come as a surprise to many in Hollywood, and fans. Ever since Hamada's DC Films exit was announced, many have been guessing who would take the position and steer the DC Extended Universe going forward. The studio’s announcement marks the end of the much-discussed search and has instead led to conversations about what this means for the future of DC projects.

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Being in charge of DC Studios will not be an easy feat, with all eyes on Gunn and Safran and any decisions they make regarding the DCEU. As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn and Safran had been spotted at the Warner Bros. lot, potentially meeting with the co-chair Michael De Luca to discuss what’s to come. The studio was keeping mum about the meetings, even though discussions of bringing the two on board had begun in the summer, despite Dan Lin still being a potential candidate for the job. The report also confirms that Gunn will be in charge of the creative aspects of future projects, whereas Safran will take over all the details related to production and business. They will both be reporting directly to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

Since the news broke, Gunn has confirmed his new role. The filmmaker took to Twitter and wrote, "Accurate. So pleased to be here. #DC" According to reports, the deal struck between the studio and the new DC Studio co-chairs is good for four years, for now. While Gunn is still able to direct DC projects, he will mainly be in charge of working as an executive alongside Safran. However, one key clause in the deal is that Gunn will now work exclusively with DC, which means he has to bid farewell to his projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, news that MCU fans may not be too pleased with. This information comes on the heels of the trailer launch of Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, and the director is currently working on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 even though filming has wrapped.

Unlike the MCU, DC has released and is currently producing projects that are not necessarily a part of the DCEU. One such film is Joker: Folie à Deux, which is scheduled for a 2024 release. The upcoming sequel will not be overseen by Gunn and Safran, and instead, Warner Bros. co-chairs De Luca and Pamela Abdy will be in charge. It is also unclear at this point whether the new DC Studios co-chairs will be responsible for Matt Reeves' The Batman movies. However, all other future DC projects will be under Gunn and Safran's purview.

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Source: The Hollywood Reporter