The Brave and the Bold will come with several major differences from The Batman: Part 2. Almost three years have passed since DC Studios announced its Batman reboot, The Brave and the Bold, set within James Gunn's DCU. The flick will star a brand-new, experienced Caped Crusader who already has an established Bat-Family, in great contrast to Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise, which it will continue alongside and is due to release its second chapter on October 1, 2027.
The Hollywood Reporter (THR) recently confirmed rumors that The Flash writer Christina Hodson is signed on to write The Brave and the Bold for DC Studios and has been on board with the project since "at least the fall." Hodson joins director Andy Muschietti, who was announced to helm The Brave and the Bold after helming multiple iterations of the Dark Knight in The Flash.
As part of its The Brave and the Bold update, THR detailed two key ways that the DCU's Batman reboot will differ from Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise, aiming to make them "distinct enough in tone and look to stand apart."
Fans already caught the first peak at the DCU's Gotham in Creature Commandos, revealing its dark, gothic exterior with a distinctly comic-booky design, with the city's infamous gargoyle statues clearly present front and center.
DC Studios will take a deeper dive into its Gotham in live-action when Clayface hits theaters on September 11, 2026, but new looks at Batman's infamous city emerged from its production in Liverpool, UK, last year.
The Clayface set came with other surprises for those eager for a glimpse into the DCU Batman's world, thanks to a full map of Gotham with 43 major locations, featuring the likes of Wayne Manor, Ace Chemical, and Arkham Asylum.
Why Fans Don't Need to Worry About DC Studios' Batman Reboot
The Brave and the Bold will bring other changes from The Batman, such as starring a more experienced Dark Knight who is well into his superhero career and has an established Bat-Family. This comes in great contrast to Robert Pattinson's Batman, who was just two years into his crime-fighting era in The Batman and seemingly still won't even have his first Robin in the sequel.
Naturally, The Brave and the Bold will be from an entirely different creative team, with The Flash's writer/director duo, Andy Muschietti and Christina Hodson, reuniting for the DCU reboot. DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are expected to produce, possibly alongside Matt Reeves himself, given that The Batman director will hold the title on this year's DCU flick, Clayface.
Despite fears surrounding Muschietti and Hodson's involvement, given the backlash to their work on The Flash, there is reason for optimism. On the directing front, Muschietti has proved himself more than capable through his work on the It duology and HBO's It: Welcome to Derry, leaving the speedster epic as an unfortunate blip on his resume, as opposed to an actual trend.
Meanwhile, Hodson has been trusted with the keys to many major franchises, such as the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, the in-development female-led Pirates of the Caribbean project, and Fast X: Part 2. On the DC front, she also penned Birds of Prey, the cancelled Batgirl, and the scrapped Batman Beyond follow-up, the script for which, THR notes, "earned praise inside the studio."
While it's unclear how long it will be until The Brave and the Bold sees the light of day, Gunn recently confirmed two things holding it back. As THR noted that DC Studios wants to give The Batman 2 "ample space to breathe," The Brave and the Bold likely won't emerge until at least late 2028 or 2029, ensuring at least a year between the distinct Dark Knight-centric movies.
