At this point, it's not exactly a secret that DC Studios is struggling to figure out Batman. Rebooting Superman was pretty easy in the wake of Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill's moody interpretation. Still, a fresh take on the Dark Knight after what we've seen from Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, and Robert Pattinson is no easy feat.
The Brave and the Bold was announced as part of the "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" slate at the start of 2023. As of now, the movie does have a writer (whose identity isn't known) and a director in The Flash's Andy Muschietti. Well, maybe. One thing we do know is that Batman hasn't been cast.
As fans wait for updates, they continue sharing casting suggestions on social media. Names like Alan Ritchson and Jensen Ackles frequently pop up, as does 1923 and The Housemaid star Brandon Sklenar.
Asked by The Ringer-Verse whether the mention of that show on a recent edition of the Peacemaker podcast was a deliberate nod to Sklenar, Gunn replied, "Do I have ideas about actors who could play Batman? Absolutely, I do. 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 said of casting the DCU's Bruce Wayne before adding, "Okay, I see what you're doing. '1923', it's a really good TV show, like I can't believe how good that show was."
He later noted, "One actor in particular, a pretty big star, wants to be Batman. We’ve talked about it, but I don’t think that’s the case," likely a reference to Ritchson, who recently took himself out of the running after saying he'd met with Gunn.
While The Batman Part II appears to be the current priority for DC Studios, the Man of Tomorrow director did share a positive update on where things stand with The Brave and the Bold's script.
"The script isn't done," Gunn confirmed. "I mean, we've got somebody writing a script, I think it's really good."
While the filmmaker has been incredibly busy with Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker season 2, being three years into the DCU without The Brave and the Bold having a finished script has frustrated many fans.
When the movie was announced, the intention was to adapt Grant Morrison's Batman run, where Bruce Wayne learns that he has a son, Damian, whom he attempts to train as his new Robin.
You can hear more from Gunn in the player below.