James Gunn’s DC Studios Future May Be Running on Borrowed Time

James Gunn has spent the past few years rebuilding DC’s cinematic reputation from the ground up, and for a while it looked like his tenure would stretch on indefinitely. ‘Superman’ reignited mainstream excitement for the franchise in 2025, and Gunn followed it with an ambitious slate meant to carry the DCU well into the next decade. But behind the scenes, the corporate ground underneath DC Studios has been shifting in ways that could reshape who actually controls that vision.

The shift traces back to Paramount Skydance’s push to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal expected to close around this month and put David Ellison’s regime in charge of the studio. Ellison has already made moves to get acquainted with DC’s current leadership, and reports suggest he has been largely supportive of what Gunn and co-chief Peter Safran have built so far.

That is what makes the latest report so notable. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it remains unclear exactly when Gunn and Safran’s contracts as DC Studios co-chiefs actually expire, though sources believe the date lands at either the end of 2026 or the end of 2027. Either scenario places the decision squarely in new ownership’s hands rather than the executives who originally hired them.

The timeline has moved before. Gunn and Safran’s original deal, struck when they were named co-chairs and co-CEOs of the newly formed DC Studios, ran four years with Gunn exclusive to the company. That agreement was later extended, and Bloomberg reported that both executives now have contracts running through spring 2027, a leash long enough to see ‘Man of Tomorrow’ through release.

Ellison himself has been directly engaging with Gunn and Safran amid the uncertainty. ‘Supergirl’ executive producer Lars P. Winther told The Hollywood Reporter that the Paramount Skydance chief visited the Atlanta studio where ‘Man of Tomorrow’ is filming, saying “he came to Trilith already, that’s where we shoot all our movies that James directs” and that “he came to Atlanta, we showed him everything, and we’re having discussions with him.”

Not every variable points toward a smooth handoff, though. Gunn has been an outspoken critic of President Trump for years, while Ellison and his father Larry Ellison are widely viewed as aligned with Trump’s political movement, a dynamic that has fueled speculation about whether Gunn would want to stay under that ownership once his deal runs out. Still, people close to the productions say Ellison has toured DC’s sets and expressed genuine enthusiasm for the current slate.

For now, the DCU calendar keeps moving regardless of who signs the next contract. ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ already hit theaters this summer, and ‘Man of Tomorrow’ with David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult is slated to arrive on July 9, 2027, right around when Gunn’s deal could lapse. Whether that film becomes a triumphant continuation or a quiet goodbye may depend entirely on conversations happening far from any camera.

With Gunn’s future at DC Studios now tied to a corporate clock instead of a creative one, do you think Ellison’s Paramount will fight to keep him past ‘Man of Tomorrow’, or is this the beginning of the end for his DCU?