James Gunn and Peter Safran took charge of DC Studios in 2022 with the ambitious task of bringing order to a superhero universe that had struggled with inconsistent storytelling and shifting creative directions. Together, they began rebuilding the franchise around a connected DC Universe, putting Superman back at the center of its mythology. However, just as fans are getting comfortable with their new direction, another major shake-up has changed the conversation.

Rumors of a third Superman movie have started circulating online, with reports suggesting Gunn is already developing the next installment after Man of Tomorrow. But is there any official confirmation, or has speculation once again gotten ahead of the actual news?

The speculation that there is an upcoming Superman 3 gained traction after the X account Superman Saga News shared a post claiming that James Gunn's next DCU film would reportedly be Superman 3, attributing the information to industry insider DanielRPK. The post also referenced Gunn's recent Threads update, in which he confirmed that he was already writing his next film. However, the director never identified the project as another Superman installment. 

As Variety reported on October 5, Gunn simply confirmed that he was working on his next screenplay while waiting for the assembly cut of Man of Tomorrow. Therefore, presenting Superman 3 as a confirmed project is misleading. It remains an unverified rumor rather than an official announcement.

There is also a significant development behind the scenes that makes the rumor on X particularly interesting. James Gunn and Peter Safran have announced their departure from DC Studios as co-CEOs, effective December 1, following Skydance's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Former Marvel executive Jeremy Latcham will replace them as president and chief creative officer. However, Gunn and Safran are not abandoning their creative commitments, and both will continue working on DC projects.

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But stepping away from the executive suite does not necessarily mean leaving the superhero universe they spent four years rebuilding. With several projects still in development and a new leadership team preparing to take over, the bigger question is how much of Gunn and Safran's original DCU blueprint will actually make it to the screen. 

The leadership change raises another question: what happens to the ambitious DCU roadmap that James Gunn and Peter Safran spent four years establishing? Their tenure brought three theatrical releases, Superman, Supergirl and Clayface, alongside television projects including Peacemaker, Creature Commandos and Lanterns. While Superman earned more than $618 million worldwide, Clayface represented another genre experiment, taking DC into horror territory. The results were not uniformly successful, with Supergirl struggling commercially. Still, the duo managed to establish a recognizable creative direction for the franchise.

Several projects remain in the pipeline, including Man of Tomorrow, The People v. Gorilla Grodd and The Batman: Part II, on which Gunn and Safran will remain producers. Gunn has also indicated that he is writing another DC project, although its identity remains undisclosed. The decade-long creative plans developed under their leadership, however, are not guaranteed to survive unchanged under Latcham.

For now, Superman 3 remains a possibility rather than a confirmed addition to the DCU. 

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