Amid DC exit, Frank Grillo praises James Gunn, Peter Safran: “Two of the Finest Men”
Frank Grillo isn’t throwing shade—he’s saluting James Gunn and Peter Safran as they make their DC exit.
On Wednesday , Frank Grillo posted a long Instagram video addressing the shake-up at DC, using it to thank James Gunn and Peter Safran directly. Grillo — who plays Rick Flag Sr. across the DC Universe — didn’t wade into the week’s arguments over what comes next. He went personal, calling the pair “the finest” and “most loyal” people he’s worked with and saying whether fans liked their movies was beside the point.
“I just wanted to publicly thank two of the finest men.”
He added that working with them had been an honor, and even joked about future favors: Safran, he said, gets airport pickup any time, while Gunn’s ride he left playfully up in the air.
Grillo’s message landed two days after an industry jolt: on Monday, the pair stepped down as co-chiefs of DC Studios, with Marvel veteran Jeremy Latcham stepping in. Gunn and Safran had been steering the DC Universe reboot since 2022.
Projects he shouted out
In the clip, Grillo called collaborating with Gunn and Safran on these DC titles “a gift”:
- Creature Commandos — Grillo voices Rick Flag Sr.
- Peacemaker
- Superman
- Man of Tomorrow
The running “secrets” joke
The tribute also echoed a lighthearted back-and-forth the three have had this year about spoilers. Earlier, Gunn shared a clip about John Cena and the future of Peacemaker, praising Cena as excellent at keeping secrets — and ribbing Grillo as, well, less so. Grillo shot back with a joke of his own that he could keep a secret if someone actually told him one.
That theme flared again in October when Grillo reshared a fan-made Man of Tomorrow poster that slotted Adria Arjona as Wonder Woman. Some fans took it as confirmation. Gunn countered that Grillo had simply liked seeing himself in the post and didn’t know Arjona’s role, then posted screenshots of their private texts and called the mix-up weirdly helpful to them.
Grillo’s parting note in Wednesday’s video was simple: whatever happens next at DC, his admiration for Gunn and Safran isn’t a secret.