After reports of Robert Pattinson's Batman not being able to appear in the upcoming The Penguin TV series because of rights issues, James Gunn cleared the air once and for all.
Coming hot off the heels of Matt Reeves' DC hit The Batman, the Elseworlds take on Gotham City is set to expand with a full-on sequel coming in 2025, as well as a pair of TV spin-offs (The Penguin and an untitled Arkham series).
This is set to create a whole universe around Pattison's Dark Knight, allowing Matt Reeves' cast of characters to drop in and out of its various projects, just like the DCU proper.
But according to some recent reports, there are whispers Batman himself may not be able to be used in anything but DC's big screen blockbusters.
James Gunn and the Batman TV Report
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn outright shut down rumors that Robert Pattinson could not appear in any TV series spinning off of The Batman because of complicated rights issues having to do with the character.
Originally tweeted by The Art of The Batman on Twitter, the "report" noted that "Robert Pattinson might not appear as Batman in The Penguin" because "the TV rights for Batman are caught up in a legal limbo:"
"Robert Pattinson might not appear as Batman in ‘The Penguin’ series, but can still appear as Bruce Wayne or the Drifter: "The TV rights for Batman are caught up in a legal limbo involving Fox, Disney and a trio of mergers."
Gunn responded to the tweet with a simple "this is not true," seemingly putting these rumors to bed.
How Batman Will Play into The Penguin
If there was any doubt Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader would be absent from The Penguin, those questions have been quashed by James Gunn.
Gunn has made it a habit of telling it how it is online, not letting any rumors or speculation get away from itself. If he says this report is not true then it is not true.
And seeing as The Penguin immediately follows up last year's The Batman, Pattinson's Batman will very likely play a role in the HBO Max series.
With Colin Farrell's Oz having his sights on leading the criminal empire he worked within before, Bruce Wayne/Batman's eyes will surely be trained on the character and those he will go up against.
While it seems unlikely that Pattinson's hero be a key figure in the series, with it being Penguin-focused after all, fans should expect to see him at least show up at some point in the series.
The Penguin has no official release timing but is currently in the midst of production.
