Last month’s announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran have been promoted to co-CEOs of DC Studios, was welcomed by their fellow employees at HBO Max. The two will be reporting directly to Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav.

Gunn and Safran will be responsible for charting DC’s direction. And fans and fellow employees are enthusiastic that the producer-director combo loves the characters, as much as they do.

The longtime friends and collaborators are responsible for some of the streaming platform’s biggest hits. The company hopes that putting the top creatives in charge may help stabilize the chaos in the DC Universe. And regain some upward momentum in the now-crowded marketplace.

 Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max have been aggressively purging content and doing deep cuts of costs. 

The company is merging HBO Max and Discovery+ into one unified streaming service. And continues to struggle to develop content that appeals to a broad range of demographics. 

Adaptations for film, TV, and animation

Gunn and Safran have worked together for years. Gunn was the filmmaker and Safran was the producer on The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Shazam! and Aquaman. 

Sarah Aubrey, head of original programming at HBO Max told Variety that, "It's a brilliant move to bring a filmmaker and producer into these executive roles for DC. I know from working with James and Peter on Peacemaker that they have the creative passion, confidence and deep filmmaking expertise to chart a new course for DC that's full of originality and exciting for both fans and filmmakers."

 Peacemaker is the spinoff of Gunn's film The Suicide Squad, which is one of HBO Max's top original hits. And despite the content purge, the Squad has a second season coming up.

According to Aubrey the new co-CEOs are the best equipped to determine what works best for film or TV adaptations.  

""There's not this territorialism around characters or stories. And we very much talk about things in both directions: 'That would make a better feature,' or 'That character should start in a feature and then come into a series.' Frankly, I imagine that will continue because it's a big operation."

Joint statement of co-CEOs

Gunn and Safran issued a joint statement after the announcement.

"We're honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we've loved since we were children." 

 "We look forward to collaborating with the most talented writers, directors, and actors in the world to create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved. “

“Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent.”

“We're excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told."