DC Studios’ new boss is reportedly planning to prioritize more mainstream characters like Batman and Wonder Woman going forward.
Earlier this week, it was announced that DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran were stepping down (reports indicate they were actually fired), and now… we have an idea of what the new direction for the franchise may look like.
According to a new report from The Wrap, DC Studios’ new incoming CEO, Jeremy Latcham, is expected to focus only on the hits going forward. The report claims that Latcham has been tasked by Skydance CEO David Ellison to assemble the Justice League on the big screen as quickly as possible. That means prioritizing projects with The Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman, and other heroes that the average filmgoer would recognize.
As a result, don’t expect bigger swings with more niche characters like Clayface, Booster Gold, or Peacemaker. The report even name-checked “modest” characters like Supergirl as not being a focus going forward.
As of right now, DC has yet to decide if they will need to wipe the slate clean again and do a full reboot, with new actors and storylines. The universe is still so young and has yet to interconnect with all of its installments, so there’s room to pivot… and it would be a PR disaster to recast David Corenswet after also publicly dumping Henry Cavill just a few years ago.
The focus on mainstream characters is the direct inverse of James Gunn’s style, as he really rose in prominence with Guardians of the Galaxy, a film about a group of misfits that the general audience wasn’t very familiar with. Gunn tried to extend that to the DCU to mixed results. Many have been wondering where Gunn’s Batman is, particularly after he was a no-show in Clayface. Gunn did open this universe with Superman, and a sequel is on the way, but it’s not quite enough for fans.
The early slate of projects has led to frustrations among viewers that Gunn isn’t building enough momentum to bring the biggest characters to the center of the DCU. Ironically, Gunn had recently stated that Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman were going to be pivotal to the DCU, so it seems he was building to it, but seemingly not fast enough for Skydance.
The Wrap also noted that Latcham will refrain from having a big social media presence, as Gunn was known for being active to a fault. Although he would answer fan questions, he would also sometimes create confusion, get into feuds with fans, and it didn’t always create the best image of DC. It’s unclear what the next era of DC will look like, but hopefully it’s not as chaotic and tumultuous as fans are expecting, since this franchise has been through enough already.
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
