Batman Will Appear in These 10 Upcoming DC Movies & Shows

By Sam Hargrave Posted:
Robert Pattinson, Michael Keaton, Thomas Wayne, Batman

Batman has ten appearances set for the coming years across five movies, five shows, and nine iterations of the Dark Knight at DC.

Gotham's Caped Crusader continues to sit among the most popular heroes in the world, and as such, DC has big plans to utilize him to the fullest extent. 

This comes after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav promised to reduce the on-screen Batman count, teasing "there’s not going to be four Batmans."

Every Confirmed and Rumored Upcoming Batman Appearance

1.) The Flash (June 16, 2023)

The Flash
DC

Batman will next be seen in live-action with The Flash, which hits theaters on June 16 after numerous delays. The Multiverse blockbuster will even double-down on the Dark Knight with Ben Affleck's Batman only set for a short cameo while Michael Keaton's 1989 hero returns in a starring role.

As Ezra Miller's Flash cause a plethora of timeline problems, Keaton's Batman will tag along with two Barry Allens and Sasha Calle's Supergirl for a chaotic adventure that is already receiving glowing reactions from critics.

2.) Justice League: Warworld (2023)

Justice League Warworld
DC

2023's Justice League: Warworld was announced as the tenth installment in the animated Tomorrowverse world, and Jensen Ackles' Batman is expected to be among the heroes returning for the next superhero team-up.

Ackles' Batman will be joined by Stana Katic's Wonder Woman, and Darren Criss' Superman, along with appearances from Jonah Hex, Martian Manhunter, Lobo, and more DC icons. As of now, a release date has yet to be announced, but the home entertainment release is set for this summer.

The official synopsis for Justice League: Warworld can be read below:

“Until now, the Justice League has been a loose association of superpowered individuals. But when they are swept away to Warworld, a place of unending brutal gladiatorial combat, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the others must somehow unite to form an unbeatable resistance able to lead an entire planet to freedom.”

3.) Harley Quinn Season 4 (2023)

Harley Quinn
DC

The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco will return for another batch of animated adventures with Harley Quinn Season 4 at some point in 2023. The comedy series features many characters from the Batman mythos, including Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy as the leading duo - who happen to share a romance in the show.

Details on Harley Quinn's fourth season are sparse for now, but with Diedrich Bader's Batman having made an appearance in multiple episodes of every previous season - including a divisive oral sex scene in Season 3 - the Dark Knight's return feels like a shoo-in for Season 4.

4.) The Penguin (2024)

The Penguin Series
DC

Matt Reeves' "Crime Saga" will continue in 2024 with Max's The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell as the Gotham crime boss in a follow-up to The Batman. The first look at the streaming original series was released recently with a short teaser.

The Batman spin-off has been teased to take on an R-rating and explore Penguin's rise to power in Gotham. Although Pattinson's Batman has yet to be officially confirmed to appear, his involvement has been reported by insider Jeff Sneider.

5.) The Batman 2 (October 3, 2025)

The Batman Part 2
DC

With regard to the Dark Knight's next solo outing, that will come on October 3, 2025, when Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne returns for The Batman - Part 2, the next big-screen chapter in Matt Reeves' "Crime Saga." Production on the sequel is set to begin in November 2023, almost two years before release.

Plot details are currently sparse, but the sequel is set to follow up on Max's The Penguin series, with major villains poised to return and Clayface reportedly placed to have a key role, possibly as the main antagonist.

6.) The Brave and the Bold (TBD)

Brave and the Bold
DC

Coming off the Robert Pattinson sequel, The Brave and the Bold will introduce the Batman of James Gunn's DCU who will be played by a brand-new actor as he takes doubles superhero duties with fathering his own son, Damian Wayne.

The Batman reboot - which will co-exist with Pattinson's Elseworlds universe - will set itself apart from past iterations of the Dark Knight by introducing other members of the Bat Family alongside the newest Bruce Wayne.

With Superman: Legacy currently being the only DCU movie to set a release date, exactly when The Brave and the Bold will arrive in theaters is unclear for now.

7.) Batman: Caped Crusader (TBD)

Batman: Caped Crusader
DC

Originally in development for HBO Max, Batman: Caped Crusader has since been shopped to Amazon as a "reimagining" of the Dark Knight mythos and essentially a spiritual successor to the iconic Batman: The Animated Series.

Although the cast has yet to be announced, the creative team behind the show is stacked with experts including The Aniated Series showrunner Bruce Timm, The Batman director Matt Reeves, the legendary J.J Abrams, and comic writer Ed Brubaker, who will serve as head writer on the series.

Caped Crusader found its home at Amazon with a two-season order for the Elseworlds show, so clearly confidence is high in the project, and that should come as no surprise given the team behind it.

8.) Merry Little Batman (TBD)

Merry Little Batman
DC

Caped Crusader isn't the only Batman project to be abandoned by HBO Max in favor of Amazon, the animated Merry Little Batman movie recently received a similar treatment. But unlike the cinematic noir style of the former, Merry Little Batman, as the title implies, will be more of a comedic affair.

The festive outing will see a six-year-old Damian Wayne (Yonas Kibreab) alone in Wayne Manor and forced to transform into Little Batman to protect both his home and Gotham from villains intent on destroying the holidays.

Merry Little Batman looks to be targeting a young audience, with the animated movie directed by The Regular Show's Mike Roth with a screenplay written by Teen Titans Go's Morgan Evans.

9.) Bat-Family (TBD)

Merry Little Batman is also placed to receive an animated spin-off series, once again at Amazon, titled Bat-Family. The show is expected to feature Batman, Alfred Pennyworth, and Damian Wayne - who now goes by Little Batman - along with some more Wayne Manor newcomers.

Bat-Family is expected to explore the heroes as they go through life as a superhero family. The spin-off hails from Merry Little Batman director Mike Roth, along with Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham writer Jase Ricci and Carton Network Studios President Sam Register.

10.) Batwheels Season 2 (TBD)

Batwheels
DC

Cartoon Network's preschool-targeted Batwheels series wraps up its debut season on May 1, but fans need not worry as it has already been renewed for Season 2. The animated show stars a group of sentient super vehicles inspired by members of the Bat-Family as they help Gotham's heroes protect the street.

Batwheels also features Batman, Robin, and Batgirl, along with Green Arrow, with the Dark Knight himself being voiced by the legendary Ethan Hawke - who actually once turned down the role in live-action for 1995's Batman: Forever.


Batman will next be seen played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton in The Flash which hits theaters on June 16.

- In This Article: The Flash
Release Date
June 16, 2023
Platform
Theaters
- About The Author: Sam Hargrave
Sam Hargrave is the Associate Editor at The Direct. He joined the team as a gaming writer in 2020 before later expanding into writing for all areas of The Direct and taking on further responsibilities such as editorial tasks and image creation.