Despite a reliable trade claiming that recently-appointed DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran were considering "folding" Matt Reeves' Batverse into the DCU and making Robert Pattinson's version of the character the franchise's new Dark Knight, the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director was quick to debunk the report.
As far as we know, both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are still set to appear as their respective takes on the Caped Crusader in The Flash, and prior to the reset, there were conflicting reports about which one of them would remain on as DCEU's Batman moving forward.
Of course, it's now highly unlikely that either actor will reprise the role for the long haul, but that doesn't mean the DCU will be without one of its DC Comics cornerstones for long.
On the heels of the Pattinson news, Gunn was asked about Batman's status on Twitter, and confirmed that, yes, the brooding hero will be a "big part" of the DCU.
Without putting words in the filmmaker's mouth, this would seem to suggest that he'll be searching for a new actor to step into the cape and cowl fairly soon. We have no idea which Batman projects Gunn and co. are currently cooking up, but we assume he won't simply recycle the premise of The Batman by setting the story in the early part of the crime-fighter's career - although that is what he's planning for Superman!
Where does Wonder Woman fit in? Nothing has been made official, but we're hearing an announcement regarding Gal Gadot's tenure in the role may be imminent (spoiler alert: she's out).
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.