As the full impact of Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros continues to be understood, one major change at the mega-studio has been confirmed: James Gunn and Peter Safran are finished at DC Studios.

The duo, who had led film and TV comic book adaptations since 2022, will be exiting their positions at the end of the year, with former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham tapped to replace them.

In the wake of the highly unexpected news, Gunn shared a statement on Instagram claiming he had chosen to step down at the end of his contract, due to an exhausting workload and the "at-times corporate nature of the job".

Nevertheless, fans have been speculating over the degree to which Gunn chose to leave, or was asked to leave, given that he had made no prior indications that he would be resigning.

On the contrary, late last month he released a podcast explaining where his 2021 team-up flick The Suicide Squad sits in the revised DC Universe canon, which suggested he was still actively thinking to the future.

Whatever the case, Gunn's departure raises major questions about what the future of DC's film and TV output might look like. Here's just five of the burning issues moving forward.

Will Superman (2025) and The Batman finally merge?

The acquisition of Robert Pattinson's The Batman could give the (once again) beleaguered DC Universe a considerable boost.

Of course, tonally, they could not be more different, but that hasn't stopped some fans from calling for a crossover for the two.

Gunn's failure to develop an alternative Batman for the DCU, since taking over in 2022, has only fuelled these demands.

As it stands, Pattinson appears to be considering departing the role of Bruce Wayne, amid comments that he's getting too old for it and reports that he's up for the part of James Bond.

Were DC Studios to double down on his Caped Crusader by properly integrating him into future plans, it could be enough to keep the buzzy star around.

It would also be a shortcut for the new DC Universe towards having a core 'Trinity' established – that being the nickname for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Will Man of Tomorrow escape unscathed?

Even James Gunn's detractors had expected the DC Studios boss to stay in post until at least the release of next summer's Superman sequel: Man of Tomorrow.

There's a lot riding on the project to course-correct after June's major misfire Supergirl, which was hit by mixed reviews and bombed at the box office (resulting in an estimated loss of $100 million, per Variety).

Gunn has tapped a large ensemble cast, including returns for Lanterns breakout Aaron Pierre (as John Stewart), Milly Alcock (Supergirl) and Xolo Maridueña (Blue Beetle), plus Andor star Adria Arjona in a mystery role rumoured to be Wonder Woman.

He's also thrown in other fan-friendly elements, such as the long-demanded cosmic villain Brainiac (played by Lars Eidinger) and a resurgence for Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor in a comics-accurate mech suit.

With all this in mind, the imminent blockbuster looked poised to be an inflection point for the DC Universe, perhaps even paving the way for a new incarnation of the Justice League.

Gunn's ousting less than a year out from release raises questions over whether changes could be made to the film, with or without his express consent.

Warner Bros and DC have unfortunate priors in this department, with Zack Snyder's Justice League and David Ayer's Suicide Squad known to have undergone major changes in post-production, which fans condemned as aberrations from their directorial vision.

Here's hoping Man of Tomorrow can avoid a similar fate, which would surely stir up ill-feeling among a fanbase that is already prone to factional rivalries.

Will DC refocus on its core characters?

One of the biggest complaints levelled at Gunn's leadership of DC Studios has been his interest in niche characters, which evoked his star-making work on Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy.

This was visible in fast-tracked projects like Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, Supergirl and Clayface, as well as upcoming HBO comedy The People vs Gorilla Grodd, which sees the return of Skyler Gisondo as Daily Planet staffer Jimmy Olsen.

While Gunn's advocates embraced the chance to see lesser-known characters in the spotlight, his critics were puzzled as to why he'd overlook DC Comics staples in favour of these deep cuts.

The muted box office of both Supergirl ($126 million) and Clayface ($109 million and counting) hadn't validated his unconventional approach.

It may be, then, that the future of DC's film and television refocuses on the publisher's key comic book characters, which could be an easy pivot if Arjona's mystery role is indeed Wonder Woman.

It's worth noting that other reports have suggested Arjona could be playing Maxima, an alien queen with a questionable moral code, who has a fraught history with Superman.

Needless to say, the C-list character is far less recognisable than Wonder Woman, but that may actually make her the more plausible option considering Gunn's track record.

What filmmakers will take the lead from Gunn?

In addition to leading DC Studios alongside executive Peter Safran, Gunn has also been the most prominent creative voice in the franchise since taking over in 2022.

He wrote and directed on Creature Commandos, Peacemaker and Superman, while his eccentric style was clearly an influence on Supergirl (albeit, not fully captured by writer Ana Nogueira and director Craig Gillespie).

Lanterns and Clayface represented moves away from the typical Gunn approach, but these deviations could become only more prevalent with his stepping down.

It begs the questions, who will emerge as the next great creative voice to guide the DC Universe into a new era?

The Batman's Matt Reeves is unlikely to step up beyond his own gothic corner, if the filmmaker's past comments and current unavailability are any indication.

Calls for Zack Snyder to return will inevitably come from the director's committed fanbase, but that could feel like a step back into an era that was running on fumes back in 2020.

Other names with connections to Skydance (Warner's new parent company) include JJ Abrams, the Duffer Brothers, Christopher McQuarrie and, of course, Taylor Sheridan.

One has to wonder if any of them could be getting a phone call in the coming months to lend their credibility to a future DC project.

When will the Justice League (re-)assemble?

So far, no franchise (comic book or otherwise) has been able to master the multi-film crossover quite like Marvel Studios and its Avengers epics.

For the Distinguished Competition, their equivalent Justice League property has been more of a headache than an asset, with several years lost to a bitter fandom war over Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder's clashing interpretations of the team.

Snyder's four-hour redux, released in 2021, seemed to draw a line under that regrettable saga, but the team has been left to gather dust in the years since.

For his part, Gunn has resisted addressing the issue head-on, with the corporate-backed team of heroes in Superman being the Justice instead (a kind of prototype of the real thing).

With new leadership could come another roadmap to the Justice League, but incoming DC Studios head Jeremy Latcham should beware that these can become sources of embarrassment.

Longtime followers will recall that, in 2014, Warner Bros unveiled a slate of DC films, some of which never materialised, including Justice League: Part Two, Cyborg and a Green Lantern reboot.

Gunn made an even greater overpromise in the form of his now-infamous 'Gods and Monsters' plan; only four of the 10 announced projects eventually saw release.

A lesson for Latcham would be to keep plans focused and manageable. Then, and only then, might we finally see the Justice League watchtower in full operation.

The DC Universe continues with next summer's Man of Tomorrow. Clayface is currently in cinemas. Lanterns is streaming on HBO Max.

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