As we near three years since DC Studios was launched, many fans can't help but express frustration at the lack of progress on The Brave and the Bold. Batman remains DC's most popular character, and on the surface, a Batman and Robin story shouldn't be that tough to figure out.
There's already some scepticism surrounding the project thanks to the decision to have The Flash director Andy Muschietti take the helm. James Gunn hailed that as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made; fans and critics didn't agree.
Muschietti has since implied that even he's unsure of The Brave and the Bold's status, while Gunn has talked candidly about DC Studios' struggles to find a take on the Caped Crusader that's not a repeat of what we've already seen. Likely not helping matters are Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves' plans for the "Elseworlds" The Batman: Part II.
Talking to Screen Rant, Gunn said, "We'll have to see what we're doing with Batman, and [figure] that out. So obviously we know some basics about where it's going with Batman, but we’re also figuring some things out, so everything's fluid."
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 is arguably bordering on being unforgivable.
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.
Talking of Peacemaker, critics were only given access to five of eight episodes for review purposes, and in the same interview, Gunn confirmed that he's responsible for them being kept under wraps.
"I am the one who's keeping the three episodes away from everybody because there are too many surprises in those last three episodes," he explained. "Especially 6 and 8, they are just crazy, my favourite things I've ever done of anything."
It feels like we're in store for a big cameo or some huge revelations about the DCU's future, unless Gunn is hyping up the episodes to be bigger than they actually are. Many fans believe The Circle is being set up as the big bad of "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters," though we're not sure how Peacemaker could possibly tease The New Frontier baddie.
"There's really no new updates," Gunn recently said of The Brave and the Bold. "I mean, we're working on a script. We have a screenwriter who's hammering away at it. I'm very involved, and so, you know, we'll see what happens next. I wish I had more news for you, but I don't."
Pushed on whether Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader could join the DCU, he said, "It would be a consideration. We’d have to think about it. We’d have to think about it. It is not like we’ve never discussed it. I would never say zero [chance], because you just never know. But it’s not likely. It’s not likely at all."
Stay tuned for updates on The Brave and the Bold and Peacemaker season 2 as we have them.