James Gunn’s place at DC Studios appears to be secure, as Paramount reportedly intends to keep him as co-CEO
DC Studios may have been formed recently, but speculation is already rife about the studio’s demise. It began when it was announced that Paramount had submitted offers to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, which, in turn, prompted confirmation that the legendary studio was indeed for sale. Soon after, people began to wonder if the future of the DCU was in question. Speculation became more prominent when James Gunn apparently addressed a possible exit from his position during an interview.
However, according to a new report, Gunn and Safran’s place at the studio is secure. By BloombergDavid Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, who was the driving force behind the deals for WBD,“wants to retain the creative teams of the two studios, while consolidating part of the marketing and distribution, according to sources close to its projects.”
The outlet also said no decision has been made on whether the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger will take place. Discovery would or would not divest one or other of the company’s studios. YouTuber John Campea, from The John Campea Showbacked the report, saying his sources confirmed to him that some of the people Paramount plans to keep after a possible merger are James Gunn and Peter Safran:
“I know a few people at Paramount, who I wrote to – and I cited this Bloomberg article. I said, ‘Ellison plans to keep the creative teams in place – and I asked specifically and directly, ‘Does that include [WB Motion Picture co-chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy]and does that include James Gunn and Peter Safran? To which they gave me a simple answer: ‘Yes.'”
This is a promising development for DC Studios. However, it is important to point out that if Paramount becomes the new owner of Warner Bros. Discovery, there could be at least two possible outcomes for the superhero studio. The first is that the operational structure remains the same and that DC Studios retains the freedom that it has been declared so far. The second option is that under the new regime there could be stricter oversight, especially since a merged company from WBD and Paramount would have several different subsidiaries and properties to manage.
Another thing to consider is that, as Bloomberg pointed out in the report, the 2019 merger between Disney and 21st Century Fox resulted in smaller film production from the studios. In the event of a merger, Paramount would have to assume the financial responsibilities of WBD. And while superheroes have proven profitable in the past, their return on investment, at least in theaters, has declined significantly. Depending on the financial results of projects like clay face And SupergirlThe Paramount-WBD merger could, in theory, shorten or expand the monetary and creative flexibility that DC Studios currently has.
But again, this is just speculation. WBD has not yet accepted a purchase offer. As such, we won’t have a clearer idea of where the company is headed until there is a firm buyer in place.
What do you think about James Gunn and Peter Safran potentially remaining at DC Studios after a WBD-Paramount merger? Let us know in the comments!
