Warner Bros. announces new executives for the newly-named DC Studios in a surprise move that shakes up the DCEU. Now formally known as Warner Bros. Discovery, the famed production company originally started in 1923 and grew exponentially over the years to become one of the biggest entertainment behemoths in the world. Today, it is home to several divisions, such as New Line Cinemas, Warner Bros. Television Group, and Warner Bros. Pictures.

DC Films, in turn, has had many successful projects and is responsible for several hits in the superhero film genre over the past few years, such as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and, most recently, Black Adam. However, following the Warner Bros. Discovery merger, the leadership of DC Films was put into question. New CEO David Zaslav arrived with major changes for Warner Bros.' DC branch, and former boss Walter Hamada departed the studio just last week. The search for the new DC Films head had many curious about where the WB division would go next.

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The answer to that particular search came as a complete surprise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran will co-chair and be co-CEOs at DC Studios, a newly formed division that will include film, television and animated DC projects. While Safran will focus on the business and production side, Gunn will head the creative area. Safran and Gunn will report directly to Zaslav and partner with Warners' film heads Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. Sources say that their deal will run for four years, and that Gunn will be exclusive to DC, which most likely puts an end to the filmmaker's relationship with Marvel Studios for the time being. Here is what Zaslav had to say about the new executives:

DC has among the most entertaining, powerful, and iconic characters in the world, and I am thrilled to have the singular and complementary talents of James and Peter joining our world-class team and overseeing the creative direction of the storied DC Universe. Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community, and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation, and take this iconic franchise to the next level of creative storytelling.

How DC Studios Will Shape The Future Of The DCEU

Black Adam in front of a plume of smoke

Different from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe has films set in separate creative universes. One of the next DC projects to start production later this year is Joker: Folie à Deux, and that will not be overseen by Gunn and Safran. Instead, this project will be headed by De Luca and Abdy. Director Matt Reeves also has projects that will likely be based on The Batman universe, but it is still unclear where those will land. Every other DC project should be led by the new executives. This should ensure that, going forward, the DCEU will have a connected tone and story. Recent years have seen the franchise become more disconnected, but the formation of DC Studios suggests Warner Bros. wants to push the DCEU back together.

It is important to note that both Gunn and Safran have experience in the comic book world, and have worked on several successful comic book-based projects before. Safran has been with Warner Bros. for over ten years and was a producer for films such as Aquaman, which pulled in box office numbers of over $1 billion worldwide. Gunn, in turn, is the mind behind the MCU's hit Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and DC's The Suicide Squad, so it's safe to say that the newly formed DC Studios and the DCEU are in good hands.

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Source: THR

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