DC Studios

DC Studios (originally known as DC Films from 2016 to 2022) is an American film, television, and animation production company that is a division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). The studio has been led by filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran as its co-chairmen and co-CEOs since November 2022. It is responsible for the production of live-action and animated films and television series based on characters appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

The studio was initially formed in May 2016 as DC Films and was led by comic book writer and producer Geoff Johns and producer Jon Berg as part of Warner Bros. Pictures to oversee the DC Comics–based film productions, primarily those in their flagship media franchise and shared universe, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). After several DCEU films were met with poor reception and underperformed financially, Johns and Berg left by the end of 2017 and the studio was reorganized, with Walter Hamada hired as the president of DC Films in January 2018. After WBD became Warner Bros.' owner in April 2022, DC Films was overhauled and Hamada left in October 2022. Gunn and Safran, who had both worked on some DCEU media, then assumed control of the company, when it became DC Studios, and the duo began work on a new franchise, the DC Universe (DCU), to serve as a reboot of the DCEU.

From 2016 to 2023, the studio released 13 films within the DCEU, initially as DC Films from Suicide Squad (2016) to Black Adam (2022), and after becoming DC Studios, it released Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). DC Studios is set to begin releasing films within the DCU, starting with Superman (2025). The first television series originally produced by the studio is the animated Creature Commandos, which is set to premiere in 2024. Since 2023, DC Studios also inherited and produces content not set within the continuity of the DCEU or the DCU as part of the "DC Elseworlds" label, and has produced several films part of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies banner.

The studio's films Aquaman (2018) and Joker (2019) are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time, with Joker becoming the first R-rated film to gross over $1 billion. The studio has been involved with the production of other DC Comics character–based film franchises that have grossed $1 billion at the box office, including the Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman multi-film franchises.

Background
During DC's National era, the company licensed Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (and other All-American Comics characters) to Republic Pictures, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures for advertising serials, shorts and feature films. Other comic characters, such as Fawcett Comics' Shazam and Quality Comics' Plastic Man (which ultimately sold to DC), also had a serial short.

After the release of the first feature-length Batman film, Kinney National Company (later Warner Communications) purchased National Comics Publications in 1967 and then Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969. This purchase meant that the comic company's television and theatrical distribution turned over to Warner Bros., which led to the launch films and television series based on DC characters. In the late 1980s, Warner Bros. acquired full distribution rights after the release of the Superman and Swamp Thing films. The Batman films once again marked a return to the big screen.

Formation as DC Films and initial developments (2016–2022)
After the divisive reception of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Warner Bros. Pictures made moves to stabilize the direction of its unofficially named media franchise and shared universe the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The studio reorganized in May 2016 to have genre-responsible film executives, thus DC Entertainment franchise films under Warner Bros. were placed under a newly created division, DC Films, created under Warner Bros. executive vice president Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, the chief creative officer of DC Comics. This was done in hopes of competing more directly with Marvel Studios' franchise the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Johns also kept his existing role at DC Comics. However, the division's formation was not designed to override the "director-driven" mandate.

Justice League (2017) had one of the biggest film budgets (nearly $300 million) but grossed about $96 million in its opening weekend. An analysis in The Washington Post expected that there would be a course correction again, with a possible change in leadership. Forbes contributors felt that the course correction would be for DC Films to give up on the shared universe, while continuing with the Wonder Woman films and occasionally other films, as Warner Bros. has other franchises they can work with. Despite this, in December the studio reiterated their current film slate for the unofficially titled DC Extended Universe. That same month, Warner Bros. announced that a new strategy and organization of DC Films would occur with Berg leaving his position as the studio's co-president of production to form a Warner Bros.–based production company with Roy Lee, the producer of the Warner Bros. films The Lego Movie (2014) and It (2017). In January 2018, Warner Bros. executive Walter Hamada was appointed as the new president of DC Films, to oversee the films in the DC Extended Universe. Hamada was closely associated with New Line Cinema, and helped develop horror films, such as It and The Conjuring film franchise.

Restructuring and immediate changes (2022)
In April 2022, after the merger between Warner Bros.' parent company WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. to form Warner Bros. Discovery, the new CEO David Zaslav was exploring a restructuring of DC Entertainment, including having a creative leader akin to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige to lead its film and television projects. Later in July, Toby Emmerich stepped down as the head of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group. The group was restructured to give DC Films, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, and Warner Animation Group respective leadership. Former MGM executives Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy became the co-executives of Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. They were also temporarily signed to oversee the remaining units of the group until the new positions were filled.

When the release of the film Batgirl was canceled by Warner Bros. Discovery in August, Hamada was reportedly not consulted regarding the decision and only learned about it when De Luca and Abdy informed him at a test screening for Black Adam (2022). Hamada was upset and considered resigning, but agreed to stay until Black Adam release. Later that month, Dan Lin entered talks to oversee DC's film and television divisions. From this position, Lin was expected to report directly to Zaslav, while Hamada would depart the studio. In September, Lin and Warner Bros. Discovery ended negotiations and agreed to part ways. During Black Adam Times Square premiere in October, star and producer Dwayne Johnson said he could be a consultant at DC Films, helping the studio find its next creative leader. Later that month, it was reported that De Luca had been effectively running DC Films in place of Hamada. On October 19, Hamada departed from the company, just two days before the release of Black Adam.

Rebranding as DC Studios and new leadership (since 2022)
Shortly after Hamada left his position, James Gunn and Peter Safran – who previously worked together on the television series James Gunn's PG Porn, DC Films' The Suicide Squad, and that film's spin-off series Peacemaker – were revealed to serve as the co-CEOs and co-chairmen of the studio, and DC Films was rebranded as "DC Studios". The duo was tasked to oversee the production of films, television, and animation under the DC label, reporting directly to Zaslav, while also working alongside but independently of heads of other divisions. Gunn oversees the creative development on DC projects, while Safran oversees the production side. Their roles began effectively on November 1, 2022.

In November, Gunn said that the studio would focus on multiple DCU live-action and animated projects, but also stated that they would acknowledge fan responses and complaints, and confirmed all subsequent DC projects would be released under the DC Studios banner, including those that were filmed prior to the rebranding. In December, Gunn announced that he was writing a new Superman film that would feature a younger actor in the role. Henry Cavill was not set to return as Superman, while Ben Affleck, who portrayed Bruce Wayne / Batman in the DCEU, was reported to be in talks to direct a new DC Studios project, before Affleck stated that he was not interested in directing a DC film. Gunn later revealed that new DC films would have an equal focus on popular and obscure characters, drawing inspiration from the DC animated series Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) and Young Justice (2010–2022).

Gunn and Safran announced the first chapter of their universe titled "Gods and Monsters" on January 31, 2023. They also assembled a writers' room that included Drew Goddard, Jeremy Slater, Christina Hodson, Christal Henry, and Tom King. Projects that are not a part of the shared universe will be branded as "DC Elseworlds". The following month, Gunn confirmed development for animated films within both the DCU and DC Elseworlds. Gunn said in March that they were working on potentially incorporating characters from DC's Vertigo Comics imprint beyond the Swamp Thing film, and said the following month that there were plans to incorporate characters from the DC-owned Milestone Media, such as Static. In February 2024, Gunn and Safran worked with Warner Bros. Discovery corporate siblings to acquire the Christopher Reeve documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024).

Current

 * James Gunn: Co-chairman and co-chief executive officer (CEO), DC Studios; Gunn serves in leadership as creative head for the company (November 2022–present).
 * Peter Safran: Co-chairman and co-chief executive officer (CEO), DC Studios; Safran serves in leadership over the business aspects of the company (November 2022–present).
 * : Executive Vice President (EVP), DC Studios (November 2022–present); formerly Senior Vice President, Feature Development and Production of DC Films, overseeing creative development and production management of DC–based films (February 2018 – November 2022).
 * : Executive Vice President (EVP), Publicity and Communications; McDonough oversees media relations, publicity, and external and employee communications (July 2023–present).
 * : Vice President (VP), Creative Development.

Former

 * : Former Executive Vice President (EVP), Warner Bros. Pictures, former co-chairman of DC Films, and former co-runner of the DCEU (May 2016 – December 2017).
 * Geoff Johns: Former co-chairman of DC Films (May 2016 – December 2017), former president and Chief Creative Officer, DC Entertainment (February 2010 – June 2018), and former co-runner of the DCEU (2015 – June 2018).
 * Walter Hamada: Former President, DC–Based Film Production, Warner Bros. Pictures (January 2018 – October 2022).

Live-action films
All of the live-action films by DC Films and DC Studios are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.