It's been nearly three years since DC Studios announced its "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate, and as we write this, James Gunn and Peter Safran still haven't found the DCU's Batman.
Following multiple delays, Matt Reeves' The Batman Part II is finally taking shape and will begin shooting a few months from now. However, that's an "Elseworlds" project and won't be connected to movies like Superman and Clayface.
Gunn has repeatedly said that he's struggled to figure out what the DCU's Dark Knight will look like, something which surely hasn't been helped by having Reeves' critically acclaimed franchise to compete with. For now, Andy Muschietti remains attached to direct The Brave and the Bold from a script by an unnamed writer.
Earlier today, an exciting update surfaced online, courtesy of Dread Central. "Hearing the screenplay is finished for Andy Muschietti's new Batman film, [The] Brave and the Bold, and that Warner Bros. is looking at a 2028 release," the site wrote on X.
It didn't take DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn long to debunk it, though, as he took to Threads to respond, "Fiction, sorry. Screenplay isn't finished."
It's always interesting to see what the Man of Tomorrow helmer does and doesn't weigh in on. For example, while he's remained silent on those Wonder Woman rumours, he did respond to a fan who asked about reports that The Batman Part II had a test screening last year (seriously). "That would be strange since the movie hasn't started production," Gunn wrote.
While it's hard to fault DC Studios for taking its time to do right by the DCU's Batman, fans growing increasingly frustrated is understandable. It surely shouldn't be this hard to tell the Caped Crusader's story, and at this rate, a Wonder Woman movie may arrive before The Brave and the Bold.
As for Muschietti's continued involvement with the reboot, that remains divisive in no small part because of the mixed response to The Flash in 2023.
"Do I have ideas about actors who could play Batman? Absolutely, I do," Gunn said last year. "I have guys I like. I have guys that are top of the list for me, just like I had people that were at the top of the list for Superman."
"People can guess and maybe they'll be right about certain things. We'd have to screen test, we'd have to do the whole thing," he continued. "The script isn't done. I mean, we've got somebody writing a script, I think it's really good."
The Brave and the Bold doesn't have a confirmed release date.