The ultimate Uno reverse card.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Directors James Gunn and Peter Safran have landed the most important jobs for the DC Universe. The pair have landed the job to control DC’s film, TV and animation efforts as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, which is to be the successor to DC Films.
The past week has been filled with speculation as to who would be filling the outbound Walter Hamada’s seat, and the announcement has put all that to rest. There were, however, signs that it may be either (or in this case both) of them. Says THR:
In recent weeks, Gunn and Safran were spotted on the Warner Bros. lot, meeting with Warners film co-chair Michael De Luca about future projects. And according to sources, the initial overture to Safran and Gunn came from De Luca over the summer, even as the studio was in shaky talks with producer Dan Lin to take the job.
Apparently, Gunn will handle the creative side of the Studio, while Safran will handle the business and production side. They will both, however, continue to direct and produce projects separately. Both report to David Zaslav directly and work closely with Warner’s film bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. The deal purportedly runs for four years and keeps Gunn exclusive to DC. They won’t simply be producers, but actual executives, though Gunn will continue to direct the occasional film.
As for a few of the projects currently in the pipeline, though, things will be a bit less certain. The sequel to Matt Phillips Joker, for example, will fall under the purview of De Luca and Abdy. It’s likely, however, that future movies connected to Matt Reeve’s The Batman will be under Gunn and Safran.
Said David Zaslav of the news:
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.
David Zaslav
Gunn and Safran themselves gave a statement on the landmark deal:
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.
James Gunn and Peter Safran
As of right now, there’s no word on what this means for any projects Gunn or Safran were working on for other studios. Notably, Gunn is currently involved in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for Marvel/Disney, which is slated for a release in May next year. More recently, there is the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special coming to Disney+, announced the same day as this deal. Taking that bit about exclusivity into account, though, that may no longer be the case. As a matter of fact, it’s not impossible to see it as a net loss for Disney.
Both Gunn and Safran will be considered hired as of November 1st. De Luca and Abdy, who both started their current roles in July, have recently been at work making creative decisions and overseeing postproduction on films like The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. As they said of Gunn and Safran:
We could not be more excited to have James Gunn and Peter Safran join the team and assume the leadership of the DC Universe. James is a brilliant filmmaker and storyteller and Peter is a tremendously successful and prolific producer and to have them both committing to work together to forge this new era for DC is a literal dream come true. We all share a very similar sensibility and passion for this universe and the stars couldn’t have aligned any better. We can’t wait to get started, dig in, and collaborate with these unmatched creative minds.
Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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