James Gunn and Peter Safran named to lead DC Studios for Warner Bros. DC Comics
James Gunn and Peter Safran named to lead DC Studios for Warner Bros. DC Comics
(CNN) — James Gunn and Peter Safran were named Friday to lead the DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. animation studios, respectively, a source confirmed to CNN.
A statement from Warner Bros. Entertainment said the two men had been named as part of “a new management team” to build on the DC universe and “bring the best of DC’s characters to life for a new generation of fans.”
Gunn will replace Dick Snyder as head of the DC animation studio. They will “lead the animation production of the “new slate of live-action films and episodic TV series, as well as support for TV and other content initiatives,” according to the statement.
The pair are credited with producing Guardians of the Galaxy, a 2012 hit with a $200 million budget and a global gross of more than $400 million. It led to the first in a now-classic string of DC live-action films that included Batman, Superman and Green Lantern.
Safran, who has worked on animated projects like Shrek and Ratatouille, now oversees DC’s feature animation lineup, including a series based on the long-running DC’s horror comics called Swamp Thing.
Gunn is currently the director of 2012’s The Suicide Squad, a DC-based film starring Margot Robbie, Jake Gyllenhaal, Margot Robbie and Margot Robbie.
Related content Warner Bros. to release James Gunn’s Suicide Squad in mid-January
“DC’s movies and comics are always at the forefront of innovation,” DC CEO Diane Nelson said in the statement. “The new leadership will help define and drive the future of DC’s content.”
The next big DC animated film, however, is not due until 2022.
“I’ve been doing animation from 1998 to the present for a long
