James Gunn is an experienced filmmaker, but a first-time studio head. There have been a few occasions when his inexperience has shown, and, for many fans, the DC Studios co-CEO's handling of Batman is a major problem.
Over three years since the DCU slate announcement—at least half of which hasn't come to fruition—there's still no indication that Gunn is anywhere close to casting the Caped Crusader. Christina Hodson is said to be working on The Brave and the Bold's script, and The Flash director Andy Muschietti remains loosely attached.
When Clayface arrives in theaters this Halloween, chances are a Batman cameo is off the table because the DCU still won't have its Bruce Wayne. All the while, Matt Reeves is forging ahead with The Batman Part II, his "Elseworlds" sequel to the 2022 hit.
Despite fan demand, it's been made clear on several occasions that Robert Pattinson's Batman will not be joining the DCU.
According to insider Daniel Richtman (via The Direct), The Brave and the Bold is "not coming for years." Instead, "Gunn is pushing to get The Batman 3 out faster...he wants that trilogy over...he wants to move on. [He] doesn’t want two Batmans."
While it would admittedly be odd to have Pattinson's Batman in theaters at the same time as The Brave and the Bold's version, provided they're different enough, you'd think the two franchises could co-exist. Gunn wanting to avoid confusion makes sense, but trying to rush Reeves to get his threequel done seems ill-advised.
Plus, with The Batman Part II scheduled for a 2027 release, this could mean we won't see the DCU's Batman until the end of the decade. For that reason, we'd recommend taking this rumour with a pinch of salt. We're sure Gunn will chime in on social media to address this if he sees fit, too.
Back in January, Gunn said of The Brave and the Bold, "I’m dependent on when there’s an actionable script ready. Also, frankly, we’re well into Batman 2, and I wouldn’t want to cloud the Batsphere until after that." This new report seems to line up with his comments, to some extent.
Directed by Matt Reeves from a script by him and Mattson Tomlin, The Batman: Part II stars Robert Pattinson (The Batman), Scarlett Johansson (Jurassic World Rebirth), Sebastian Stan (Avengers: Doomsday), Colin Farrell (The Penguin), Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), and Jeffrey Wright (What If...?).
The Batman Part II is set to be released in theaters on October 1, 2027.