DC’s New Boss Has a Simple Test for Superhero Movies: Would His Grandma Like It?

Jeremy Latcham’s approach to superhero movies is getting a lot of attention since he was named the new head of DC Studios. Skydance tapped the former Marvel executive to replace James Gunn and Peter Safran, and he takes over on December 1 as president and chief creative officer.

His résumé explains why he got the job. Latcham joined Marvel in 2004, before Marvel Studios made its own movies, and was part of the team that launched the MCU with Kevin Feige. He was an associate producer on ‘Iron Man’, a co-producer on ‘Iron Man 2’, and an executive producer on ‘The Avengers’, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’.

Now fans are learning how Latcham thinks about making movies. In a resurfaced interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Latcham described a test he used throughout his Marvel years. He would ask himself whether his grandmother would enjoy the movie being developed.

That question became a guiding principle for him. Latcham explained that it served as a stand-in for whether a film would work for regular people outside the Hollywood bubble, and what the movie would mean to an ordinary family.

The idea came from a personal moment. Latcham recalled that the Monday after ‘Iron Man’ opened in 2008, his grandmother called him from Perkins, Oklahoma, to say that her church’s Sunday sermon had been about the movie.

The new President & CCO of DC Studios Jeremy Latcham made a name for himself while working for Marvel Studios by producing movies that were marked by redemptive, biblical values. "Even at Marvel, like if you read the History of Marvel book, there’s like this bit about my grandparents in there because when we were making the first Marvel movies, Id always be like, ‘I don’t know if my grandma would like that, you know?’ And that became like a guiding light of like as we were developing the movies, I just had this sense of, ‘I don’t know if my grandma would like that,’ and that became the stand-in [to determine if a movie] is going to work for regular people that are outside of the bubble of Hollywood. What does this [movie say for a regular family?" 🎥: @BillyHallowell/CBN https://t.co/e3ZExjvL6v

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) November 9, 2026

For Latcham, that was a sign the film was really connecting with audiences. He said the goal in those early Marvel days was to make movies that felt redemptive and hopeful and had something meaningful to say.

He has also spoken about Marvel’s reputation more broadly. Latcham said the team loved being recognized for making films that connect with audiences worldwide, with good values and themes of heroism and community.

Latcham left Marvel Studios in August 2017 to found his own company, Latcham Pictures. Since then, he has produced ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ and ‘Bad Times at the El Royale’.

His more recent work has leaned toward family-friendly projects. He produced ‘The Breadwinner’, the family comedy starring Nate Bargatze that TriStar released this past May. He also serves as a senior advisor at Wonder Project, the faith-based studio behind ‘House of David’, and is currently stepping away from projects such as the big-budget ‘Naruto’ movie for Lionsgate and Sony.

The resurfaced comments quickly went viral and sparked debate about DC’s future. Some fans on X worried that the grandma test means the end of R-rated projects like ‘Peacemaker’ and horror films in the vein of ‘Clayface’.

That concern comes at an important time for DC’s darker side. ‘Clayface’ has been one of the studio’s best recent performers, earning about $109 million on a $44 million budget, and some outlets suggested Latcham could keep that horror lane alive because it is cheaper to make.

Some reports have gone further, but they remain unconfirmed. Cosmic Book News cited unnamed insiders claiming Latcham would steer away from R-rated shows, though he might still allow an R-rated film. Neither Latcham nor Skydance has announced any change to DC’s content strategy.

The contrast with his predecessor is clear. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources describe Latcham as someone focused on making hits for the masses and getting people into theaters. They say his tastes are more in line with Skydance chief David Ellison’s than those of Gunn, who was known for bold humor and lesser-known characters.

There’s a twist in their history too. Latcham was instrumental in Gunn’s rise at Marvel, advocating for his hiring on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’. Now he inherits the universe Gunn built, and his grandma test may shape what comes next.

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