The DCU is an ambitious new endeavor that is paying off for Warner Bros. Discovery. But before DC Studios was established, the superhero brand was in disarray. The continuity of the franchise—then known as the "DCEU"—was all over the place, with canon being established in one movie, before getting thrown out the next. Then, WBD leadership decided to shake things up. DC was given its own studio. Yet, much like Marvel Studios, the new entity needed a leader(s).
The search for one proved difficult, with some important figures coming close to getting the job, but ultimately parting with it for one reason or another, including Joker director Todd Phillips, and The Lego Movie and Aladdin producer Dan Lin. Eventually, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav found his studio leaders: James Gunn and Peter Safran. As it turns out, the duo got on Zaslav's radar in a curious way.
Bloomberg published a report delving into the DC Studios chiefs' plans for the comic book brand, where it revealed Zaslav decided to hire Gunn and Safran after reading the former's screenplay for Superman: "David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive officer, appointed the pair after reading Gunn's script for Superman."
The creative duo's journey toward the position of co-heads at DC is actually even more intriguing than that. As mentioned, prior to landing on them, Warner Bros. Discovery was deep in search of a leader for its nascent superhero studio. According to Deadline, Safran and Gunn would both advise Zaslav on potential candidates, which is, ironically enough, what reportedly strengthened their chances of getting hired.
Though Superman fully kickstarted the DCU on the big screen, its screenplay was actually written before DC Studios or the DCU had materialized. Gunn's Superman script was being developed at what could be considered one of the oddest moments in Hollywood history, as Henry Cavill announced his return as the character, only for a full reboot of the DC Universe to be announced just a short while later.
Gunn confirmed on Josh Horowitz' Happy Sad Confused podcast that he was in the process of writing his script when Henry Cavill was announced to be returning as Superman following his cameo in 2022's Black Adam. The filmmaker explained that he and Safran signed on to lead DC Studios right as Cavill had been given the green light to make his now infamous Superman announcement:
"So, we were dealing with trying to figure out if we could take the job at DC Studios, and we're talking to David Zaslav, and all the legal people there, and figuring out what our deals would be. And the day our deal closed, all of a sudden, they were announcing that Henry was back, and I'm like, 'What is going on? Like, we know what the plan is'—the plan was to come in and do Superman. So it was really unfair to him, and it was a total bummer."
Gunn then explained he and Safran decided the best way to address the matter was to personally meet with Cavill. Though the situation was understandably difficult, the Guardians of the Galaxy director praised the Man of Steel star for the way he handled the news:
"So, yeah, we came in, and that was really unfortunate. I'm like, 'This poor guy.' And so, Peter [Safran] and I [said], 'The right thing to do is to sit down with him and talk to him.' And we sat down, we talked to him. He was an absolute gentleman, a great guy about it. He said, 'The only thing I ask is that I'm able to reveal it myself as opposed to it coming from you guys.'"
Superman is streaming on HBO Max. It's sequel, Man of Tomorrow, is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 9, 2027.
What do you think about the way Gunn got on Zaslav's radar? What's been your favorite James Gunn film so far? Drop your thoughts in the comments!