Earlier today, the news broke that James Gunn and Peter Safran are exiting (well, they've been fired) DC Studios. The news isn't hugely surprising; three years in, they haven't produced a single box office hit and, despite positive reviews, the DCU hasn't come close to replicating the MCU's success.
The DCU was built on weak foundations due to Gunn's penchant for focusing on obscure, zany characters, but how better to try and tap into Marvel Studios' hit rate than by hiring one of its founding fathers? That's where DC Studios' new co-CEO, Jeremy Latcham, comes in.
Latcham will lead DC Studios' film, television, and animation slate, overseeing the creative pipeline, along with production, talent and strategy. He's essentially the DCU's Kevin Feige, and unlike Gunn and Safran, Latcham will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group. His predecessors, in comparison, were seemingly held accountable by no one.
Who is Jeremy Latcham? Well, his name will likely be familiar to many of you, even if you've only seen it in the credits of movies. However, he helped to shape the MCU as we know it and is a Hollywood veteran.
Latcham joined Marvel Studios in 2004, eventually becoming senior VP of production and development. In that role, he worked alongside President and CCO Kevin Feige to help bring the MCU to life. His credits include associate producer on Iron Man, co-producer on Iron Man 2, and executive producer on The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
After leaving Marvel Studios in 2017, Latcham established his own production company, Latcham Pictures, which secured first-look deals with 20th Century Fox, Hasbro and Wonder Project. The company went on to produce Bad Times at the El Royale and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
More recently, Latcham held an overall deal with Hasbro Entertainment, where he was developing a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons and an Action Man movie. He was also attached as a producer to Lionsgate's Naruto adaptation, which is being directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
Here's what he had to say about taking charge of the DCU:
"DC’s pantheon of characters is among the most iconic in American popular culture. 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. The chance to steward the incredible cast of DC characters to the screen in a way that excites lifelong fans while introducing their timeless stories to the next generation is a massive responsibility that I do not take lightly. I am grateful to Dana and Josh for putting their trust in me. I can’t wait to work night and day alongside filmmakers, comic book creators, artists and storytellers of every kind, across film, television and animation, to build something ambitious for longtime DC fans and newcomers alike."
Is Latcham the right person to lead DC Studios? Time will obviously tell on that front, but as of now, it feels like this franchise is in very safe hands. Latcham is an experienced producer, and crucially, he's not a writer and director whose time will be divided between his own whims and desires and building a shared universe.
At Marvel Studios, Latcham helped launch the Iron Man, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Spider-Man franchises. That's a jaw-dropping track record, and one that suggests he's the right person to take Gunn's shaky foundations and build something great atop them. For example, if it's true that Man of Tomorrow introduces Wonder Woman, he can now get on with giving Diana Prince her own movie.
Gunn has also given him a great Superman in David Corenswet, and Latcham can, if he chooses, allow the filmmaker to continue telling stories with that character without having to balance doing so with running a studio. Latcham helped reboot Spider-Man; who better to crack the code with Batman, too?
Much is being said on social media about Latcham's faith and whether he'll shy away from telling R-rated stories in the DCU. Well, after enduring Peacemaker Season 2's gratuitous orgy, Lanterns' pointless F-bombs, and Clayface's lame CG gore, would that be the worst thing in the world? Honestly, no, and a DC Universe that's appealing to audiences of all ages—as is the case with the MCU—is essential to its future success.
The veteran producer's hiring gives us considerable confidence in the DCU moving forward, and as a result, it feels like the best is yet to come for a franchise that hasn't exactly soared since launching nearly three years ago.