Frank Grillo Defends Ousted DC Chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran

Frank Grillo posted a video message on Wednesday praising James Gunn and Peter Safran, two days after Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham replaced them as president of DC Studios. Grillo, a mainstay of the DC Universe, did not hold back.

On Monday, Warner Bros. handed the studio's top job to Latcham. Gunn and Safran had taken charge in 2022 and overseen the DCU reboot from that point. They will finish their work on "Man of Tomorrow" and Season 2 of "Creature Commandos" before returning to their own creative endeavors.

Grillo plays Rick Flag Sr. across the franchise. He began in Season 1 of the animated series "Creature Commandos," then moved to live-action in "Peacemaker" Season 2 and "Superman." Next summer he appears in "Man of Tomorrow." His character is the father of Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag Jr., who died in Gunn's "The Suicide Squad."

What did Grillo say?

The actor opened his tribute with a jab at online commentary. "I feel like now that the dust has settled a bit and every jerkoff with an Instagram handle has an opinion, I just wanted to publicly thank two of the finest men that I've met in this business in Peter Safran and James Gunn," Grillo said. He called them "two of the most loyal guys, two of the most passionate and loving and creative human beings that I've had the pleasure and tge honor of getting to work with."

He traced the full arc of the collaboration. "Just an amazing experience with both of them, with everything from 'Creature Commandos' to 'Peacemaker' to 'Superman' and now 'Man of Tomorrow,' it's just been extraordinary," Grillo said. "It's been a gift."

Why does the tribute matter?

Grillo framed his praise in personal terms, separating the men from their films. "These two gentlemen are an example of what class and what men are really capable of in Hollywood," he said. "Whether you like their movies or not is irrelevant to me, but on a personal level, there just aren't two better human beings that I've come across."

He closed with a note of loyalty — and a joke. "I consider both of them dear, dear friends. I would even pick Peter up at the airport. Maybe not James, but Peter definitely. I want to thank you boys and I look forward to what we're gonna do next."

That final line points forward. Grillo expects to work with Gunn and Safran again after they leave the studio, even as Latcham takes control of the DCU's next chapter.