After just two years since the launch of “Creature Commandos,” the new DC Universe (DCU) has effectively been cancelled with the removal of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs of DC Studios, per The Hollywood Reporter. The pair has been replaced with former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham. This announcement follows Skydance’s acquisition of DC Studios last month.
For nearly-every DC fan out there, this is horrible news, and I feel for any fans struggling to accept this change. No matter how you may feel about Gunn and his movies, the truth is that the new era of the DCU ended before it even began, and while there’s no official confirmation, it’s likely Gunn and Safran’s planned slate of movies will be thrown out.
But what might stay on track, and what can we expect to happen to the characters and stories Gunn has already released on the big screen? With today’s installment of The Pull List, I’ll be making my predictions for the future of the DCU with Latcham in charge.
“Man of Tomorrow” is likely safe from any purges — filming wrapped in August according to Gunn via Threads, so we can expect that movie to still release as planned and the same goes for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman: Part 2.” Similarly, the upcoming show “The People v. Gorilla Grodd” will also likely hit your television screen, as Collider reported the show has also finished filming, likely in early October. This was confirmed through an interview with actor Skyler Gisondo, who plays Jimmy Olson in the DCU.
As for everything else? Truly, there’s no way of telling. However, if Skydance was willing to remove Safran and Gunn so quickly following the merger, it’s likely Skydance CEO David Ellison is looking to shake things up.
One of the most notable upcoming releases that now may be scrapped is “The Brave and the Bold,” which was expected to be the first appearance of Gunn’s live-action Batman. For those who aren’t aware, Robert Pattinson is a separate Batman for Matt Reeves’ stand-alone movie trilogy and is not expected to appear in any DCU films.
However, it’s now possible that this will change! With Latcham in charge, merging Reeves and Pattinson into the larger DCU could be back on the table. It would certainly require some contract negotiations, but there’s no telling what Ellison is aiming to do.
Gunn even confirmed recently that he planned to start looking for a new Batman soon. If I had to guess, I’d say Gunn’s slow progression towards finding the next Batman may have been a reason for his removal. If Skydance is looking for money, a Batman movie is a pretty easy way to get it. Once again, Gunn’s plans for Batman could be thrown out.
We might see some other casting changes come along as well. Adria Arjona has been rumored for months now to be the next Wonder Woman, but if she’s yet to make her DCU debut, her role could change (it’s also been suspected that she’ll appear in “Man of Tomorrow” — if true, she’ll likely keep whatever role she has in that film, given how close its release is).
We also can’t be sure where our current DCU heroes will stand. Mainly, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl and Guy Gardner. All three were heavily featured in 2025’s “Superman” and the average viewer could expect them to appear more as the beginning of the DCU’s Justice League. Now, we can’t be sure what level of involvement these characters will have going forward.
But what can we be sure of? In a July interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Latcham outlined some of his guiding principles when it comes to filmmaking. Primarily, he cited his grandmother as an important influence for him.
“That became a guiding light as we were developing the movies, like I just had this sense of like, ‘Well, I don’t know if my grandmother would like that,’” Latcham said. “And that became the stand-in for, like, is this going to work for regular people that are outside of the bubble of Hollywood? What does this say for the regular family?”
It’s too early to form a complete opinion on what will be Latcham’s take on the DCU, but this interview raised a few concerns. The body horror movie “Clayface” recently passed $100 million at the box office after an unsuccessful 2026 for the DCU. Despite the movie’s success, I’m unsure if Latcham will continue with films like it.
The beauty of the new DCU, or at least what we knew of it so far, was Gunn’s emphasis on exploring a variety of ways to tell a superhero story. “The People v. Gorilla Grodd” is expected to be in the style of a true-crime mockumentary, and “Clayface” leaned hard into body horror with a script by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini. “Swamp Thing” is (or was) anticipated to be a gothic horror film.
If Latcham’s primary goal is to create movies that appeal to a family audience, then it looks like “Clayface” and “The People v. Gorilla Grodd” will be the last of their line. I wouldn’t be surprised if Latcham begins casting for Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and other popular DC characters. Gunn has been avoiding the mainline heroes so he can build his world ahead of time, but considering the monetary potential of these heroes, we might hear some more about casting soon.
It looks like the DCU as we know it might be over, but until Latcham begins sharing his plans, all we can do is speculate. For now, here are some upcoming comics to keep an eye out for this week and next!
My current favorite main-universe series, “Batman and Robin: Year One – Dynamic Duos” comes out with issue #4 today. We’ll also see the continuation of newer series like “Teen Titans,” “The Doom Patrol,” “Legion of Super-Heroes,” “The Fury of Firestorm” and “Barbara Gordon: Breakout” this week as well.
Today also marks the release of “Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #5,” which I highly recommend reading if you enjoyed the recently released movie. The comic explores the creepy, identity-malfunction nature of Clayface a bit more, and it’s certainly a fun read!
Next week also won’t be seeing any new releases, but we will be seeing the continuation of the fan-favorite “Nightwing” with issue #144.