Bat-fans are still anxiously awaiting some kind of update about the debut of the next big-screen Dark Knight in the DCU, but - unless DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran are further along with plans for the character than they are willing to say - it doesn't sound like much progress has been made since The Brave and the Bold was announced as part of the "Gods and Monsters" slate.
Gunn was asked five questions relating to the DCU on Threads, and responded with the following.
• Batman's suit hasn't been designed yet
• He's unsure if Wally West is currently active in the DCU
• Blue Beetle, the character specifically, is canon
• He will not write or direct Teen Titans
• Shazam and Black Adam are not canon
To be fair, a final costume design is something that would usually happen fairly late in the pre-production process, but we find it hard to believe that Gunn and director Andy Muschietti (assuming he's still attached to the project) haven't put any thought into the new Bat-suit whatsoever.
Gunn has previously confirmed that creative plans for Batman have changed since we first learned that a new take on the iconic hero would make his debut in The Brave and the Bold.
Fans suspected as much, anyway, since Gunn has previously admitted that he was finding it difficult to come up with a satisfactory way of introducing a brand-new big-screen Dark Knight to the burgeoning shared universe.
A user recently asked the Superman director the following on Threads: “James, have the plans for DCU Batman changed creatively in some way since the 2023 announcement of The Brave and the Bold?” Gunn replied with a brief, “Yep.”
This obviously doesn't give us much to go on, and could mean any number of things. Will Batman still debut in The Brave and the Bold, or could it be sooner? Have Gunn and Peter Safran decided to make Robert Pattinson's The Batman the DCU's Caped Crusader after all?
The latter seems unlikely, but with the recent delays, there's a chance Gunn and co. have rethought their approach to Matt Reeves' "Elseworlds" films.
Safran was asked about DC's "duelling Batmans" during an interview with IGN, and assured fans that Reeves recently pausing production to deal with a personal issue will not result in the sequel being shelved.
"We've got Batman: Part Two and [the animated film] Dynamic Duo in 2028. Listen, I couldn't be more excited about the plans that we have over the next five years and, obviously, a lot of them, we're just not able to talk about yet, but I think you're never going to please everybody, but I have a feeling that people are going to be excited about what we have coming up. And, again, Batman: Part Two, everybody's aware of the issues we're having right now, but, what we've seen so far of the shoot, it looked absolutely fantastic and Matt Reeves is a supremely talented filmmaker. Dynamic Duo is, for my money, as original today as Pixar was when they did Toy Story so we're really excited about that. Obviously, Man of Tomorrow's in post [production] right now."
Gunn recently debunked a rumor that Batman: The Brave and the Bold had been put on hold until the WBD/Paramount merger is settled, but even when (if?) the movie does enter production, will Andy Muschietti be at the helm?
When the news broke that Muschietti had been chosen to helm the project, Gunn and fellow DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran said they enlisted the filmmaker on the strength of his work on The Flash.
This was before The Flash hit theaters, and the movie's underperformance at the box office (it actually received a mostly positive critical reception) led to speculation that Muschietti may have been taken off the project.
There's also been some resurfaced chatter that Gunn might be planning to introduce an older take on Bruce Wayne (possibly even in his 50s).
Gunn addressed the older Batman rumor during a 2025 interview, when he was asked if DCU's Dark Knight would be in his mid-to-late 30s, given the fact that Damian is typically portrayed as a 10-year-old.
"No, I think you have to wait to see the movie. Some things have changed. Plenty of things are in flux on what his situation is with his parentage and all that stuff, so I wouldn't take any of it–Yeah, I mean, the actor who wants to... Listen, first of all, I can't tell you the amount of big actors that have told me they want to be Batman. I think you'd have a harder time finding actors who don't want to be Batman. He's the one character everyone wants to play. That's the truth."
When asked whether Damian was even still part of the movie, Gunn replied: "I think you have to wait to see exactly what's happening."