In what has proven to be a truly shocking start to the week’s news cycle, James Gunn and Peter Safran are out as the co-CEOs of DC Studios. Stepping up in their place is MCU veteran Jeremy Latcham. It’s the latest shocking turn of events for a division that has certainly seen more than its fair share of turmoil in recent years.

While DC fans are still processing this news, one thing is abundantly clear right now. The last thing the newly unified Skydance needs is for this shake-up to derail the direction of the DC brand. The DCU must continue, with or without Gunn at the helm.

DC’s Years of Corporate Chaos

So much of Warner Bros.’s efforts with the DC brand over the past 15 years or so have involved trying to build a proper competitor to Disney and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ve certainly found success with the various solo Batman movies, but building a larger, overarching shared universe has proven much more challenging. 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn’t the critical or commercial smash DC needed, and financially, it was mostly downhill from there as far as the DC Extended Universe was concerned.

Nor have the many corporate shake-ups at Warner Bros. helped matters. There have been far too many cooks in the kitchen at DC, which prevented the latter-era DCEU from gaining any sort of storytelling momentum or direction. It’s telling that then-Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav saw more potential in the Batgirl movie as a tax writeoff than a product worth releasing to the public. DC couldn’t even seem to decide if Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, or Robert Pattinson should be the main movie Batman going forward. There was no clear plan for the DC line until Gunn and Safran came along in 2023.

It was then that the two co-CEOs unveiled their bold plan for the DCU, dubbed “Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters.” They envisioned an interconnected slate of films and TV shows spread out over the course of many years, all designed to restore the shine of the DC brand and establish a new and cohesive shared universe. The new DCU coalesced in 2025 with the debut of David Corenswet’s Superman, and it expanded this year with the release of Supergirl, Lanterns, and Clayface.

It’s easy to assume that Supergirl’s performance in particular had some bearing on Skydance’s decision to cut Gunn and Safran loose.

That’s not to say it’s all been smooth sailing for the DCU so far. Superman was a solid success, but Supergirl has proven to be one of the biggest box-office bombs of 2026, and Clayface has succeeded only by virtue of being a relatively low-budget superhero offering. It’s easy to assume that Supergirl’s performance in particular had some bearing on Skydance’s decision to cut Gunn and Safran loose.

There’s also the fact that the former co-CEOs have faced criticism for not focusing on the biggest names in the DC Comics library. They may have prioritized Superman out of the gate, but what about the DCU versions of Wonder Woman and Batman? Why is Peacemaker getting such a big push before them? Why focus on Clayface before getting Batman himself in order? We suspect that those same questions have been asked in the Skydance boardroom, with the new regime wanting more of a “meat and potatoes” approach to the DC line, rather than Gunn’s more esoteric leanings.

Honestly, that’s not the worst idea. As much as I’ve been looking forward to upcoming DCU projects like Mister Miracle and The People v. Gorilla Grodd, it’s hard to argue against the notion that DC should be focusing more on its core franchises and characters in this early stage of the current cinematic universe. Couple that with the fact that Gunn himself seems almost relieved to be stepping down in his statement, and this shake-up doesn’t have to spell doom for the DC brand.

Why the DCU Needs to Continue

But that all assumes that Skydance doesn’t completely wipe the slate clean and reboot the DCU entirely. After so many years of corporate chaos and competing creative visions and continuity reboots, the last thing the DC brand needs is for things to start over yet again. We’ve just barely made the transition from the DCEU to the DCU. Don’t make us suffer through all of that again.

It would make Skydance seem incredibly weak if they completely jettisoned the DCU and started things afresh. They need to show moviegoers that they have enough faith in the direction of the DC line to soldier forward, even if the person calling the shots has changed. They need to retain the core continuity that’s been established and key actors like Corenswet, Aaron Pierre’s Green Lantern, and Milly Alcock’s Supergirl. The last thing anyone wants is another long, painful hunt to find the next Superman.

And certainly, the very last thing Skydance needs to do is start nuking the projects Gunn and Safran already have in development. 2027’s Man of Tomorrow is currently in post-production. The People v Gorilla Grodd is well into filming, if not also wrapped at this point. We’d hate to see those projects shelved and given the Batgirl treatment just so we can be subjected to another Superman reboot. That would be a very costly and wasteful mistake on the studio’s part.

The DC line needs a clear and consistent vision, above all else. Whatever your thoughts on the execution of the DCU so far, the fundamentals of Gunn and Safran’s plan have been very sound. The DCU debuted as a shared universe with a rich several-hundred-year history of metahuman activity. It’s meant to be a place where continuity and interconnectivity are less important than allowing writers and directors the chance to leave their mark and let their voices shine. Gunn has often described the DCU approach as being more akin to Star Wars than Marvel, and that’s critical in ensuring that the DCU doesn’t become just another also-ran cinematic universe.

Even if Gunn is no longer at the top of the hill choosing what projects get greenlit, that basic approach needs to continue on. There’s a path forward for Skydance that involves retaining the continuity and general tone of the DCU, but pivoting to focus on the most bankable and recognizable properties.

And that path still has room for Gunn, assuming he and the studio are both still willing to work together post-Man of Tomorrow. Ideally, Gunn will still write and direct new DC projects, whether that’s continuing his Superman saga, tackling more seasons of Peacemaker and Creature Commandos (we know Season 2 is already in the works), or pivoting to other properties that strike his fancy. Gunn already said in his social post about the change in DC management that he has a “secret” script he’s writing for the studio, and heck, he Gunn may be the best option when it comes to finding someone to finally reboot the Dark Knight for the DCU. Gunn can focus more on the actual craft of filmmaking and let others slog through the corporate pressures and responsibilities. A win/win for everyone.

Back in 2023, it felt like Gunn and Safran were exactly the cure DC needed for all of its cinematic woes. That hasn’t entirely panned out in the four years since, but that hardly means those years have been a failure. Skydance can’t throw the Bat-baby out with the bathwater. They need to double down on what’s worked so far in the DCU and build on that, and they – and we – definitely don’t need another reboot.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.