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- Primary Subject: James Gunn's DC Studios Leadership
- Key Update: Following Paramount Skydance's official $110 billion agreement to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), industry insiders are speculating that James Gunn may seek an early exit from his contract.
- Status: Speculative rumor
- Last Verified: March 3, 2026
- Quick Answer: While Paramount's David Ellison plans to keep Gunn in place, rumors suggest Gunn may resign due to creative differences or political friction with new leadership.
With Paramount Skydance officially set to take ownership of Warner Bros. Discovery in a massive deal expected to close in late 2026, the future of the DC Universe (DCU) is facing its biggest hurdle yet.
While Paramount CEO David Ellison has publicly stated he plans to keep James Gunn and Peter Safran at the helm of DC Studios, speculations have mounted that Gunn may end up choosing to walk away.
Could James Gunn Step Away From the DCU Following Paramount's Merger?
Gunn is clear on his stance that his contract remains intact regardless of the outcome (even prior to news of Netflix pulling their offer), and Paramount's Ellison assured everything operates as normal in Warner Bros.'s theatrical output.
However, industry insiders, such as John Campea, claim that the latest shakeup would drive Gunn to take back his words and "end up back in Marvel," where he would become Kevin Feige's "heir to take over after Feige goes."
Not to mention the political friction, with Gunn being anti-Trump and Ellison being, well, the complete opposite. Campea added, "So, I just don't see any reality in which James Gunn stays. He's gonna quit."
Meanwhile, the Hollywood After Dark Podcast host Matt Jarbo believes the same story with his own take: "I can see him shooting Man of Tomorrow and then calling it a day after that."
Jarbo also added a key insight when it comes to new owners taking control of significant assets: "One thing you have to remember about the way Hollywood operates is that when there's a new owner of a property, they want to do it with their team rather than relying on other people."
What James Gunn Previously Said About the Merger and How It Affects Him
On October 25, 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery placed James Gunn and Peter Safran as the Co-Chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios.
Since then, Gunn made several announcements clear on his planned DCU movies and TV shows and has taken the lead on Peacemaker, Creature Commandos, and Lanters.
Being a DC Studios architect, involving a new CEO to spearhead and oversee upcoming projects could mean trouble for the future of the comic book franchise.
Then again, Gunn did previously express his excitement rather than uncertainty towards the merger (via Men's Journal): "I've been through these sorts of changes so many times that, you know, I'm always... be careful what you wish for because you don't really know until you know. I hope it goes well. Every direction has really exciting things for DC. So, I'm excited about where it's going to go."
That said, it would be wise to take Gunn's rumored exit from the DC franchise with a pinch of salt rather than speculate further. Stay tuned.
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