When DC Studios announced its DCU slate, among the most exciting projects was The Brave and the Bold. A new take on Batman, it will see the hero discover he's a father when he meets Damian Wayne and takes the boy under his wing as the new Robin.
Unfortunately, it also means Matt Reeves' The Batman trilogy will remain an Elseworlds franchise. Many fans have since argued it was a missed trick on DC Studios' part to not bring Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne into the DCU, though it was always unlikely he'd be willing to become a franchise player and join the Justice League.
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently responded to a fan on Threads who asked whether The Brave and the Bold will only be released after Reeves' trilogy is done. Making it clear he's unconcerned about any overlap, the filmmaker responded with a simple, "No."
In other news, after casting Superman and Supergirl, it sounds like Batman could be the next DCU lead we see find an actor. "Hearing that agencies are anticipating a casting call will be going out very soon and that DC Studios will be firing up the Bat-Signal," scooper Charles Murphy recently claimed on X.
Let the speculation commence!
Talking last year about DC Studios' plans for The Brave and the Bold, Gunn said: "This is the introduction of the DCU's Batman. This is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son who we didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a bitch. He's my favorite Robin."
"It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book's run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now."
DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safran added, "And this is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended 'Bat-family', just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long."
Matt Reeves' The Batman II remains on track to be released in 2025, and we expect the DCU's Caped Crusader to make his debut - alongside Robin - a little further down the line based on a previous update from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn.
Asked last November about a possible Bruce Wayne casting announcement, the filmmaker said, "No. We don't even have a script yet."
It's still very early days for this project and it probably won't swoop into theaters until 2027. Director Andy Muschietti, whom Gunn hired after being impressed by his work on The Flash, is thought to be focusing on It TV series Welcome to Derry, so patience will be key when it comes to seeing the DCU's Dark Knight on our screens...unless he shows up before his solo outing, of course!
Unlike Supergirl, that won't happen in Superman: Legacy as Gunn recently confirmed Batman isn't going to be among the heroes who appear in the Man of Tomorrow's upcoming reboot.
Keep checking back here for the latest on The Brave and the Bold as we have it.