The internet is still reeling from today's news that James Gunn and Peter Safran will no longer serve as DC Studios co-CEOs (they appear to have been ousted, although it sounds like it may only have been a matter of time before Gunn walked anyway), with Skydance's David Ellison enlisting former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham to take the reins.
Though some believe Latcham is only a transitory hire, for the time being, he will oversee DC’s film, television and animation slate, taking charge of the entire creative pipeline, production, talent and overall strategy.
"DC’s pantheon of characters is among the most iconic in American popular culture," said Latcham in a statement. "I’ve had the privilege to help bring some of the most celebrated superhero stories to life on the big screen, and I’m excited and honored for the opportunity to now lead DC Studios into its next era."
David Ellison added: "We’re thrilled to welcome Jeremy to DC Studios! As part of the founding team behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he helped define the modern superhero movie and powered some of the biggest, most beloved comic book adaptations of our time. We can’t wait to see the stories he’ll bring to life, and how he’ll help build the future of DC for fans everywhere.
James and Peter began a new era for DC Studios, guiding it through a major transformation and bringing audiences fresh chapters of beloved stories, including Superman, Lanterns and Creature Commandos. We’re grateful for the passion and care they brought to this work, and for the lasting mark they’ve left on DC."
Latcham has worked on several massively successful Marvel movies, including Iron Man, The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Age of Ultron, but a resurfaced interview with Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) has led to speculation that the DCU is going be a significantly more family-friendly place going forward.
“Even at Marvel, like if you read the the History of Marvel book or whatever, there’s like this bit about my grandparents in there because when we were making the first Marvel movies, I’d always be like, ‘I don’t know if my grandma would like that, you know?’ And that became like a guiding light of like as we were developing the movies, I just had this sense of, ‘I don’t know if my grandma would like that,’ and that became the stand-in [to determine if a movie] is going to work for regular people that are outside of the bubble of Hollywood. What does this [movie] say for a regular family?”
“In 2008, Marvel Studios made our first film, a small film called Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The Monday after it came out, my grandmother called me from Perkins, Oklahoma, and she said, ‘Honey, the sermon on Sunday was about Iron Man. It was about a story of redemption and how we can all relate to that,’” Latcham recalled. “It was at that moment that I knew we’d done something that resonated around the world, that my grandmother in Perkins, Oklahoma, a town of 5,000 people, could feel the story of redemption that traveled around the world and that we could all be lifted up by heroes. I think we kept that with us at Marvel, and hopefully, we’ll keep it with us for a long time as we continue making movies.”
It's hard to imagine someone with Latcham's values signing off on something as adult-oriented and outright debauched as Peacemaker Season 2, for example, but that doesn't mean we should expect a dramatic shift in tone for the usual PG-13-rated fare.
At the end of the day, many fans would probably prefer a more cohesive shared universe, even if it means fewer F-bombs and orgies.