DC Studios’ Peter Safran Gives Post-Merger Update on Batman Part II, Man of Tomorrow and DC’s TV Slate

DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran says the studio’s plans haven’t changed since Skydance took over Warner Bros., but he left the next live-action project undecided and Lanterns Season 2 unconfirmed. In an interview with IGN, conducted the day after he’d seen Clayface screened, Safran covered the merger’s first effects, the status of the TV and animation slate, and where James Gunn goes after Man of Tomorrow.

Skydance’s first moves

Safran says David Ellison has so far been complimentary and focused on giving DC the resources to continue as planned, rather than handing down notes. He said he and Gunn laid out their long-term vision for Ellison earlier this year, and that no changes to how DC films are marketed have come up yet. The deal was only a week old at the time of the interview, he pointed out. One concrete change is the return of Josh Goldstine as head of marketing and distribution, which Safran called a “coming home” moment for DC. Goldstine is already involved in Clayface, and Man of Tomorrow‘s marketing push will be decided in the coming month. We covered the leadership picture earlier when Gunn and Safran were confirmed to stay at DC Studios after the merger.

Clayface and Gotham’s look

Safran described Clayface, directed by James Watkins from a script by Mike Flanagan, as an R-rated body horror film that was never meant to be a conventional superhero movie. It’s the third narrative feature under the rebooted DCU and the studio’s smallest by budget, which he sees as proof of the “broad spectrum” of tones and scales DC promised. On whether its Gotham will carry into future DCU films, he said later filmmakers can use it as a starting point, with each free to add their own vision. Gotham will stay grittier than, say, Coast City.

What’s greenlit, and what isn’t

On television, The People v. Gorilla Grodd is in production, but Safran said the next live-action project to go before cameras hasn’t been chosen. “A couple” of projects are competing for the slot, in either film or TV. Asked directly whether Lanterns Season 2 is greenlit, he said no. He’d “not be surprised” to see more if HBO, DC and showrunner Chris Mundy feel a second season is worthy of the first. John Stewart, played by Aaron Pierre, is the example he gave of the TV-to-film pipeline, since the character debuted in Lanterns and appears in Man of Tomorrow next summer. That film is in post-production.

Animation looks healthier. Safran said Creature Commandos Season 2, Mister Miracle, My Adventures with Green Lantern, Starfire and DC Superpowers are all “way down the road” creatively. Absolute Batman is at the script stage, as is the Joker anime. He described Mister Miracle as an eight-episode adaptation written entirely by Tom King, with Josh Hutcherson as Scott Free and Mackenzie Davis as Big Barda.

Batman Part II and Gunn’s next film

Safran said The Batman Part II and the animated Dynamic Duo are both set for 2028, and that footage he’s seen from the shoot “looked absolutely fantastic”. He alluded to “issues” without detail. Warner Bros. and DC Studios said on 5 October, as reported by Deadline, that production was temporarily paused while Matt Reeves attends to a family matter. Deadline’s sources said it was too early to say whether the pause would affect the 18 February 2028 release date.

Gunn hasn’t picked his next directing project, Safran said, though he doesn’t expect a long gap after Man of Tomorrow. He cited the schedule Gunn kept while writing Creature Commandos, making Peacemaker Season 2 and prepping Superman.