Earlier today, we got the disappointing news that Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel - which is no longer officially titled "The Batman - Part II" - has been hit with a major delay, and now won't arrive in theaters until October 1, 2027.
Despite DC Studios co-head James Gunn taking to social media to state that the delay was simply down to the fact that the script hasn't been finished, speculation mounted that some recent rumors relating to Gunn wanting to bring star Robert Pattinson in as the DCU's Dark Knight might be the real reason.
On last week's episode of The Hot Mic, co-host Jeff Sneider shared some of the things he's heard about the Batman situation, and he believes that Gunn does indeed want Pattinson in the DCU - but Reeves is "resistant" to the idea.
Whether there is any truth to this or not, Daniel Richtman has heard that, for now, there are "still no plans to make Pattinson the DCU Batman."
Things could always change on this front, but let's assume that Gunn and co. still fully intend to cast a new Batman for The Brave and the Bold, what is taking so long with The Batman sequel's script?
We have heard that some kind of personal issues might be involved. We're not sure if this means problems between Reeves and someone at the studio or in his home life, but we'll just say that the rumor mill has been churning.
At this point, folding the Batverse into the DCU might make the most sense, if for no other reason than to avoid having two separate Batman franchises running alongside each other. By the time The Batman sequel actually hits theaters in 2027, there's sure to have been at least some progress on The Brave and The Bold, although director Andy Muschietti did reveal that the project has been "postponed a little bit" earlier today.
Gunn has previously admitted that he did consider bringing Pattinson on as the DCU's Dark Knight.
"I've contemplated it, yeah. I contemplate everything and talk about everything," the filmmaker said in a recent interview. "I'm committed to both telling stories in the DCU and telling Elseworlds stories. We want to be able to tell a story where Superman is very different or tell a Red Sun story or whatever. We want to be able to play with these characters in different ways."
"One of the things I love about DC over Marvel comic books is those things are much more plentiful," he added. "There are many more Elseworlds stories. I think that's part of the fun of DC."
What do you think? Would you like to see Pattinson as the DCU's Batman? Drop us a comment down below.