Frank Grillo Stands With Gunn and Safran After DC Shake-Up

A surprising reshuffle at DC landed like a thunderclap this week — and Frank Grillo didn’t hesitate to speak up. In a short, personal video he posted Wednesday, the actor who plays Rick Flag Sr. praised James Gunn and Peter Safran after the pair were removed from the studio’s leadership.

Gunn and Safran, who took the reins of DC Studios in 2022, will hand over the keys to veteran executive Jeremy Latcham, who was announced as the new head on Monday. The outgoing duo will finish work on Man of Tomorrow and season two of Creature Commandos before returning to independent creative projects. Still, the shake-up has left casts, crews, and fans asking what comes next for signature DC properties.

Grillo’s message was neither performative nor vague. He called Gunn and Safran among the most loyal, passionate, kind, and inventive people he’s worked with. Short sentences. Clear admiration. He named the projects they shared — Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, Superman, and now Man of Tomorrow — and described those collaborations as gifts he’s grateful for.

There was warmth and a dash of humor too. Grillo said he’d happily pick Peter Safran up at the airport, and then joked he might skip the same favor for James Gunn. That offhand line landed like something from a set conversation: candid, human, and very much in character.

For context, Grillo first voiced Rick Flag Sr. in Creature Commandos season one, then took the live-action mantle in Peacemaker season two and in the upcoming Superman sequel. In those stories he’s the father of Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag Jr., the tragic figure who died in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. Grillo has insisted Rick Flag Sr. is a vital part of Man of Tomorrow, and he returned to Atlanta for additional shoots after initially wrapping his scenes in May.

Industry insiders say the changes at DC could alter the studio’s roadmap. Skydance is reported to be distancing itself from portions of the cinematic slate Gunn outlined, and sources suggest some adult-rated DC corners — think Peacemaker and Lanterns — may not continue under Latcham’s stewardship. John Cena himself recently hinted that Peacemaker will be dialed back in future plans.

Cast uncertainty is real. David Corenswet and Millie Alcock both have contracts tied to Man of Tomorrow, and insiders note any renewals could hinge on the film’s box office performance. So actors and creators are left with a familiar mix of optimism and anxiety: a job well done, and a future to be negotiated.

Grillo, though, isn’t waiting for executive decisions to trickle down. He made it clear he intends to keep playing Rick Flag Sr., regardless of who sits in the studio chair. He’s part of the movie; he’s invested in the character. That resolve reads like a promise to fans and a gentle nudge to the new regime: continuity matters.

There’s a larger question here: what happens to a cinematic universe when its architects are replaced mid-build? Will Latcham preserve the tonal threads Gunn and Safran stitched into recent DC projects, or will the studio pivot to a new direction entirely? Answers will arrive slowly — in box office results, in TV season orders, and in the small, telling choices of who gets called back to set.

For now, the human stories are what stick. Actors pledging loyalty. Directors reshaping expectations. Executives stepping into uncertain terrain. And a fanbase watching closely, eager for the next trailer, the next casting announcement, the next sign that the universe they care about still has a map.