UPDATE, October 1: Sneider is back with a new one. A source tells him David Corenswet will be Superman “for the next decade” no matter what happens with DC Studios after the merger.
UPDATE, September 9: The 2027 clock isn’t just Gunn’s. Insiders now say HBO Max could be gone and Casey Bloys out after the merger, and Bloys’ HBO deal also expires in 2027 with no extension.
The “James Gunn just signed a new contract extension” story is done, and it’s the guy who started it walking it back.
On the September 4 episode of The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider called it “absurd” and said his “he just extended” remark came from reporting that was already out there, not a new deal.
That is exactly where my sources landed: nothing new has been signed, and Gunn’s contract still runs out in 2027, right after Man of Tomorrow.
And it’s exactly what I replied on X that went viral with over 150k views and ZERO community notes.
“Don’t Look At Me”
Sneider’s original remark came on the August 28 episode of The Hot Mic, which includes in the title: “Gunn and Safran Extend Their Contracts With DC.”
Asked if Gunn sticks around at DC Studios, Sneider nodded his head up and down and said, “For sure he will. He just he just extended. So, he will.” Rocha then laughed.
Fan accounts and outlets ran with it as a brand-new extension, locking Gunn in long-term. Some even spun it to mean a Gunn Batman movie on top of it.
On the new episode, Sneider shut it down.
“Should we just bring this up now? The absurd James Gunn thing,” he said. “I didn’t address it all week. Right? And Campea was asking me, too. I didn’t address it all week, including on Twitter, guys. What an absurd story.”
“I’m sitting here having a conversation with you being like, yeah, he just extended, right? Like I read this somewhere,” Sneider continued. “And everyone goes, ‘He just extended!'”
His response to the fans who turned it into news: “Holy sh-t, guys! You guy are f’n nuts! Don’t look at me! It’s you! You are the problem.”
So, exactly as I said, the reporting he read is the extension that already exists. Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios in 2022 on four-year deals that were later extended into 2027, the deal Gunn is working under right now.
What I Told You On August 29
One day after Sneider’s original remark, I posted on X: “Been told claims that James Gunn’s contract has been extended are vastly over blown! It’s just what’s been reported before, that basically it goes to Man of Tomorrow! Gunn’s contract still expires in 2027 and he will be gone!”
On September 1, two insiders backed that up in my exclusive.
“Any contract extensions are always announced, and his current contract IS the extension,” said one longtime source.
A second source laughed it off: “Lol that’s old news. His contract extension expires in 2027 — after MOT.”
Now the man behind the rumor says he was citing something he read. My sources called it on day one.
As I tweeted, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!” End of story.
On a side, note, Sneider also backed up my own Netflix reports from the same insiders.
The 2027 Clock
Man of Tomorrow, which wrapped filming August 26, opens July 9, 2027. Gunn’s deal runs out right after.
My sources say the contracts will not be renewed once the Paramount takeover closes, with Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy already taking pitches from Zack Snyder, Ben Affleck, Patty Jenkins, and Christopher McQuarrie.
And the two words my source says to remember through 2027: “CONTRACT EXPIRED.”
