The Dawn of a New DC Era
With James Gunn’s Superman opening on July 11, 2025, we’re taking a look back at the history of the project through a month-by-month breakdown beginning with this look back at October 2022.
October 2022 marked the beginning of a new chapter not just for Superman, but for the entire DC Universe on screen. The Warner Bros. Discovery merger had left the future of DC Films in a state of flux, with prior plans under Walter Hamada’s leadership slowly giving way to a search for more cohesive creative control. That month, the company made a decision that would define its superhero strategy for years to come: James Gunn and Peter Safran were officially named co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios.
The news broke on October 25, 2022, in a report from The Hollywood Reporter, which stated: “In a stunning turn of events, filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran have been tapped to lead DC’s film, TV and animation efforts as co-chairs and co-CEOs of DC Studios, a newly formed division at Warner Bros. that will replace DC Films.”
The move surprised many in the industry—not least because Gunn, who had directed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films, had also made a successful pivot to DC with The Suicide Squad (2021) and the HBO Max spinoff Peacemaker. Safran, meanwhile, was a longtime producing partner on Aquaman and Shazam!.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, in a press statement included in the official Warner Bros. announcement, said: “James and Peter have a powerful vision and creative sensibility to define and drive a unified vision for the world of DC in film, TV and animation. Their decades of experience in filmmaking, close ties to the creative community and proven track record thrilling superhero fans around the globe make them uniquely qualified to develop a long-term strategy across film, TV, and animation.”
At the time, it was not publicly known what the future of Superman looked like under this new leadership, but speculation was immediate, especially given that previous attempts to revive the character post-Justice League had struggled to find traction. Henry Cavill’s long-discussed return remained ambiguous.
James Gunn took to social media with a characteristically honest and open tone. While he didn’t confirm anything specific about Superman just yet, he hinted at the larger ambitions ahead:
“Peter & I can’t wait to get started. We’re honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we’ve loved since we were children.”
—James Gunn, Twitter, Oct. 25, 2022
That same day, Gunn also responded to a fan asking if Superman was going to be part of his plans, saying simply:
“Yes of course. Superman is a huge priority, if not the biggest.”
—James Gunn, Twitter reply, Oct. 25, 2022
This was the first public indication that Superman would play a central role in the vision for the rebooted DC Universe. It wouldn’t be long before Gunn confirmed that he was writing the new Superman movie himself—but for October 2022, the priority was transition. The foundation was being laid.