Washington DC (US), February 25: James Gunn, the CEO of DC Studios, has made it clear that he values quality filmmaking over rushing projects into production. Gunn stated that he would rather “quit” than compromise on creative standards and release films that don’t meet his expectations. This statement comes as Gunn, alongside DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran, addressed concerns about the studio potentially becoming a “movie machine” focused on quantity rather than organic storytelling.
“I’d quit,” Gunn emphasized, stressing that he will not move forward with projects unless he is confident in their quality. “I’m being serious! I’m not going to do this unless I think we’re doing good stuff that’s cool, that works,” he said, as quoted by Deadline. He later clarified, “I’m not saying I’m going to quit, I’m not damning DC.”
Safran shared similar thoughts, emphasizing that DC Studios is taking a deliberate approach to their projects. “We’re very deliberate in our output. We’re not looking to make five movies a year and five series. We’re really focused on telling great versions of the stories we want to tell, and we have zero pressure on us from [WBD CEO] David [Zaslav] or anyone else to deliver more than that,” Safran explained.
Gunn has consistently asserted that, unlike some other studios, he will not rush a project into production unless the script is fully ready and the creative vision is set. This approach reflects his commitment to delivering quality content.
Gunn and Safran took over as heads of DC Studios in November 2022 after Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) CEO David Zaslav pushed for a revitalization of the studio post-Warner Media-Discovery merger. As part of the new vision, DC Studios aims to release two live-action films, one animated movie, and two live-action and two animated series for Max each year.
The first film of this new era of the DC Universe (DCU) is Superman, directed by Gunn. The movie stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Neva Howell. Superman is scheduled for release in theaters on July 11, 2025.