James Gunn and Peter Safran to Continue Leading DC After Warner/Paramount Merger

With the merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery underway and nearing completion, the game of musical chairs has begun at the new giant that will be managed by David Ellison and Ynon Kreiz.

While the head of Paramount+ is expected to leave the studio, the heads of Warner Bros. Pictures are also on their way out. However, James Gunn and Peter Safran are expected to remain in their positions, and as Puck reports, they will initially be invited to continue leading DC Studios.

• Paramount to Accumulate an Extra $7.5 Billion In Debt for Warner's Purchase
• Netflix and Paramount End Agreement with Skydance for Animated Films
• Mark Ruffalo Slams Warner-Paramount Merger

Gunn and Safran took over the studio when it was created in 2022, and have been releasing films and series ever since. In film, there have been highs and lows. Last year, Superman was a success and well-received, but in 2026 came the flop Supergirl. The duo's next release is Clayface, a low-budget horror film premiering this month.

On TV, DC is currently enjoying its biggest success to date with Lanterns, which has been garnering good audience ratings.

It remains to be seen what the structure of the larger Warner/Paramount group will be.

• Paramount Promises to Release 30 Films a Year After Warner Merger
• Paramount Threatens to Leave California Amid Warner Troubles
• Lionsgate CEO Supports Paramount/Warner Merger: "Good for the Industry"

At WBD, Gunn and Safran reported directly to CEO David Zaslav, not to film heads Mike de Luca and Pam Adby, who will now be leaving the company. It's possible that the DC Studios CEOs will remain subordinate to the CEO, or that they will report to the new film heads who will oversee both Paramount and Warner, Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg.