DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn gave an intriguing update on Batman's DCU debut, indicating it may happen sooner than originally announced. The DCU is aiming to introduce its Batman, who will one day share the screen with David Corenswet's Superman, in Brave and the Bold. The DC Studios blockbuster is expected to star Batman and his biological son, Damian Wayne, aka Robin, picking up several years into his superhero career with an existing Bat-Family. The Flash director Andy Muschietti is currently attached to direct, while no writer has been announced, despite James Gunn confirming a script is in the works.
As the DCEU was taking its last breaths, The Batman found success as a standalone detective story set in its own universe's Gotham. While opinions were split on whether The Batman should become the jumping-off point for the DCU reboot, DC Studios has landed on keeping them separate. As such, The Batman 2 and Brave and the Bold are both in development at the studio and will star different Dark Knights - one played by Robert Pattinson and one with a freshly cast face.
James Gunn recently spoke with Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast to talk all things DC and offered some updates on Batman's future. Intriguingly, when asked whether Brave and the Bold will still be when fans meet the DCU's Batman for the first time, Gunn played coy, saying, "I'm not gonna say that," perhaps suggesting his debut might come even sooner.
This marks an intriguing change of tune from late June, when Gunn was asked on Threads whether the plan was still for Batman's DCU debut to come in Brave and the Bold, to which he gave an unsurprising, "Yes."
Regardless, this shouldn't indicate Batman will appear imminently (possibly as Peacemaker Season 2's "really, really, really big cameo") since the DC Studios co-CEO was still able to say "no," he hasn't even begun casting in his head.
No matter how many times Gunn denies it, fans remain convinced that Robert Pattinson's Batman will merge into the DCU. Once again, Gunn shut down those claims in his sit-down with Horowitz with a quietly confirming "mhm" as he was asked whether the two Dark Knights were still intended to remain separate.
Speaking on how DC Studios will juggle the release schedules for the two Batman franchises running simultaneously, the DCU overlord confirmed they will "probably not" debut The Batman 2 and Brave and the Bold in the same year.
With Superman out in the wild, Gunn has been open that he is writing something of a sequel, which many have speculated will be a Batman/Superman team-up.
While Gunn told Horowitz his next DCU movie will feature David Corenswet's Man of Steel in a "very important" role, he stated this "isn't Batman vs. Superman" and similarly shook his head to the notion of it being a World's Finest crossover.
Batman's DCU Future Just Got More Confusing
DC Studios will dive into Batman's rogues' gallery before introducing the Dark Knight himself when Clayface arrives next October as the DCU's first R-rated flick. Many have speculated that the next Batman will appear in Clayface, possibly explaining James Gunn's latest hint at his appearance before Brave and the Bold.
Unfortunately, Nexus Point News seemingly debunked these theories recently with an exclusive report, which claimed that, at the moment, Clayface is "not set to feature any recognizable DC characters" and will focus on original players.
While DC Studios is developing The Batman 2 and Brave and the Bold simultaneously, its current focus seems to be on the former, for which Matt Reeves recently turned in the script. Meanwhile, Gunn recently indicated Brave and the Bold might have a script in the "next couple of months."
It would be surprising to see much headway on Brave and the Bold before The Batman 2 starts filming next year and even releases in October 2027 in order to prioritize the Crime Saga sequel that has been three years in the making already.
As this makes Brave and the Bold unlikely to hit theaters anytime before 2028/29, Gunn may be keeping his options open to including Batman elsewhere in the DCU before then, even if the current plan is still for that to mark his debut.
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