NEW YORK (AP) — Superman, Batman and the rest of the DC heroes are getting a new boss, yet again.
Skydance Motion Picture Group announced Monday that James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-chief executives after four years leading DC Studios. Although their first film leading the superhero factory, “Superman,” reached theaters only last year, their DC run has come to an abrupt end.
Gunn and Safran initially survived Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The studio's merger with Paramount Pictures was finalized just as DC's “Clayface” was released.
However, it turns out Gunn and Safran aren't surviving the merger. Instead, Skydance chairman and chief executive David Ellison is turning to Jeremy Latchman, a veteran of Marvel Studios, to steer DC.
“James and Peter launched a new era for DC Studios and led it through a period of real transformation, resetting the foundation and building a slate we’re incredibly proud of,” Ellison said in a statement. “We’re grateful for their passion, contributions and commitment to this legendary brand.”
Latchman was a leading executive for Marvel, including the first wave of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with “Iron Man” and “The Avengers.” He also worked with Gunn and Safran on their “Guardians of the Galaxy.”
The changeover will take effect Dec. 1. But a long pipeline of projects already in production ensures that Gunn and Safran's fingerprints will be on DC Studios for a while to come. Gunn is currently in postproduction on the “Superman” follow-up, “Man of Tomorrow.” Other upcoming releases include the series “The People v. Gorilla Grodd” and “The Batman: Part II.”
But the decade's worth of planning that Gunn and Safran instituted will no longer come to fruition. Their reign has been characterized by more idiosyncratic comic book adaptations and genre gambles, like “Clayface,” which fused superhero with horror. (It's grossed $109 million so far.) Earlier this year, “Supergirl” flopped, a major setback in just their second release.
Latchman takes on the roles of president and chief creative officer of DC Studios. He will report to Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, co-chairs of Skydance Motion Picture Group.
“Jeremy brings a deep reverence for DC and its passionate fanbase, recognizing that they are the very foundation of this storied, multigenerational brand,” Goldberg and Greenstein said.
Gunn's biggest success leading DC was “Superman,” which struck a decidedly different and more comedic tone than the previous treatments of the iconic hero in Zack Snyder's “Man of Steel.” But it also didn't reach the box-office heights of the biggest superhero hits, grossing $618.7 million worldwide.
From the start, Gunn, a prodigious filmmaker, was an unusual choice for such a prominent corporate leadership role. In exiting DC, he seemed eager to concentrate again on writing and directing.
“We’re excited to return to what drew us to this job in the first place, which is telling the stories we love, including the next chapter of Clark and Lex’s journey in ‘Man of Tomorrow,'” Gunn and Safran said in a statement.
Latchman had been out of the superhero business. In 2017, he departed Marvel to set up Latchman Pictures, producing films including “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”
“I’ve had the privilege to help bring some of the most celebrated superhero stories to life on the big screen, and I’m excited and honored for the opportunity to now lead DC Studios into its next era,” Latchman said.
FILE - Peter Safran, left, and James Gunn appear at the premiere of "Clayface" in Los Angeles on Oct. 13, 2026. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing an expected impeachment resolution in Congress, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he’s eager to litigate the military actions that he and President Donald Trump have taken against Iran, Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and Venezuela's previous leaders.
“If you want to take issue with what we did in Epic Fury or Rough Rider or nabbing Nicolás Maduro, you’re taking issue with the troops and what they accomplished, which is historic,” Hegseth told reporters Monday, using the military code names for the Iran war and campaign of strikes to halt the Houthis' attacks on shipping in the Middle East.
Hegseth also announced that he would hold a rare news conference on Tuesday — his first in over 180 days — on the impeachment threat. His last briefing was in May, and he has not held one on the Iran war, strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats or other U.S. military actions since then.
The Pentagon chief is bearing the brunt of anger and calls for his ouster after the Iran war and its economic impact contributed to severe Republican losses in the midterm elections that cost the party control of Congress. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie has pushed forward an impeachment resolution over the objections of House GOP leadership as momentum grows to hold Hegseth accountable for the conflict.
Hegseth, after giving a speech at the Naval War College in Rhode Island, brushed aside the possible impeachment push.
“There’s a lot of politically motivated people who may have substantial policy disagreements, but their disagreements are with success,” he told reporters. He added that “if we want to litigate" the military actions that the Trump administration has taken, "I’m happy to do it all day long.”
“My team, we’re not worried about the noise — it’s what I told the troops, too — don’t worry about the noise,” he said.
Asked about Vice President JD Vance blaming the Iran war for the massive GOP losses in the election, Hegseth noted that Trump said he would do it again, and “I agree.”
He largely repeated a line that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said to reporters a day earlier: “It doesn’t have to be necessarily popular, but it can be necessary.”
Hegseth argued that the war was necessary because “someone had to confront the Iranian regime’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon” and said “the choice was don’t act and wish it away or take a bold move."
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Trump defended Hegseth to reporters on Sunday night.
“He’s guilty of two things, basically winning two wars,” Trump said. “I believe we saved the Middle East and Israel combined. And it’s awfully hard to say let’s impeach somebody who did that.”
Hegseth reiterated that “Iran is devastated,” even though the Islamic Republic has been able to keep striking military bases in the Middle East that are used by the United States, causing billions of dollars in damage, as well as commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Disruptions to shipping in the waterway, where one-fifth of the world's oil passed before the war, have led to higher energy prices that hit voters' pocketbooks.
He said the next steps on the war are up to Trump, including telling Iran: ‘Hey, we’re done, and we’re going to watch your nuclear material. You better not move it.’"
Hegseth's defense of the war comes after about 6 in 10 voters said the U.S. made the “wrong decision” in taking military action against Iran, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey of more than 100,000 voters in the United States.
With anger in Congress rising, Hegseth has been on a social media blitz, posting a video last week acknowledging the threat of impeachment. He said it would be “all about the politics of personal destruction” and insisted that “won’t work with me. You can rest assured of that.”
Since then, scores of political appointees within the Pentagon have posted images of Hegseth emblazoned with the words, “Stand. Fight. Defend the Republic.” The White House also posted a video to social media that featured praise from Trump.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves after attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Defense Ministers' Meeting in Cebu, central Philippines, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)
