The burgeoning DC Universe continues to develop with the recently-finished HBO series Lanterns and soon to debut Clayface. Yet, one character looms large over James Gunn’s DCU, largely because of his absence. While Gunn maintains DC Studios’ “script first” approach is behind it, suspicions remain Matt Reeves’s The Batman films stand in the way of the Caped Crusader finally debuting in this universe.
As the DC Extended Universe of old, which began with 2013’s Man of Steel, crumbled away, Matt Reeves took over The Batman, a film project Ben Affleck was supposed to direct. With Robert Pattinson in the titular role, the 2022 movie became yet another Caped Crusader adventure disconnected from any shared universe. Since then, the release date for the sequel was pushed back multiple times while Reeves worked on the script. This movie is currently in the “final weeks” of filming, still slated to debut in early 2028. While this isn’t exactly “good” (particularly for Reeves), how these delays affect the DCU may be a silver lining.
Why The Batman May Be Delaying The Dark Knight In the DCU
Earlier this month, parent company of Paramount studios, SkyDance, acquired Warner Bros. for more than $110 billion. In 2022, the year The Batman debuted, the studio had just finished another merger with Discovery. The leadership brought in James Gunn and Peter Safran to run the newly-renamed DC Studios. They announced the DCU and, notably, confirmed that Matt Reeves’s movies would not be part of that continuity. Then-CEO David Zaslav also told the press “There would not be four Batmans (sic).” In the years since, Gunn maintained a clear separation between his universe and Reeves’s “Epic Crime Saga,” dubbed “Elseworlds” after a non-canon line of DC Comics.
In January 2023, Gunn released a video announcing the first slate of DCU projects titled “Gods and Monsters.” Of those projects, about half have failed to materialize or been canceled outright. One that remains in limbo is The Brave and the Bold, a Batman film centered on his relationship with his son Damian Wayne, who became Robin. Andy Muschietti was named as the director, but this was before his film The Flash bombed. Gunn continues to offer vague updates about the film’s development and is noncommittal about Muschietti’s involvement.
Meanwhile, while Reeves admits he’s a slow writer, unspecified personal issues also delayed the completion of The Batman Part II‘s script. Just recently, a “personal family matter” forced him to step away from set. Steven Soderbergh stepped in as his on-set proxy, according to Variety, though both Reeves and Gunn confirmed the former is still the official director. Any DC fan who understands the most basic morals of the comics’ stories (or just has an ounce of human empathy) is concerned for Reeves and his family and wishes them well. Still, by way of a silver lining, all this has set up two possible outcomes for the DCU’s version of Batman.
James Gunn May Actually End Up Having The Time To Write and Direct Batman
Upon taking over DC Studios, Gunn turned his creative attention to Superman, unquestionably the most important character in the DC pantheon and, perhaps, all superhero stories. This summer he completed Man of Tomorrow, which is both a sequel to 2025’s Superman and the first major DCU crossover event. With The Brave and the Bold still languishing in development, Gunn may now have time to personally take over the project. After all, he has said on numerous occasions that for all the love he carries for Kal-El, his favorite character is Batman.
Despite being generally a pox on cinema and art in general, Zaslav (like the proverbial broken clock) is likely right to not want multiple actors playing Batman at the same time. Even with years of extensive coverage of the changeover at DC Studios, confusion abounds. This summer while at the theater ahead of Supergirl‘s debut, I heard two separate groups of moviegoers express confusion about Jason Momoa’s role as Lobo in that film. They didn’t understand why Aquaman now wore white body paint and smoked a cigar.
There are casual moviegoers who don’t even understand the distinction between the DC and Marvel Cinematic Universes. If WB’s new owners maintain Zaslav’s rule about only one Batman in the movies at a time. Depending on the timing, Gunn could write and even possibly direct a third Superman film before The Brave and the Bold gets underway. There have been a half-dozen actors in the Batman role since 1989 in twice as many films.
Regardless of how one feels about his style, he is the architect of the DCU’s creative vision. If anyone is going to make a film that explains to everyone why this version of Batman is different that works, it’s him. Of course, before he was the go-to guy to direct superhero franchise films, James Gunn was a screenwriter. It’s possible that he simply writes the script for the Batman film to hand over to another director (or does the same with a third Superman picture). It’s what happened with Clayface, when Mike Flanagan prioritized his Carrie series over the script he wrote for DC Studios.
Robert Pattinson May End Up As The DCU’s Batman After All
Without trying to speculate on what Matt Reeves and his family may be dealing with, it’s possible that once The Batman Part II debuts, he moves on. After all, his fellow Dark Knight directors Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher, and Zack Snyder each tapped out after just two films. If he steps away, that may change James Gunn’s calculus on rolling Reeves’s continuity into his own. It likely wouldn’t be that difficult to retcon the two films into the universe, and then instead of a delayed Batman debut, he’d have been the first official DCU character. This could bring a new set of fans into the shared continuity, especially if The Batman Part II enjoys the financial success of its predecessor.
On the other hand, Reeves may choose to emulate Christopher Nolan and complete a full trilogy. It would likely bring this version of the story to a definitive end like The Dark Knight Rises. While not 17 like his most famous character, Robert Pattison has played “young” for a very long time. Despite being cast as a “younger” Bruce Wayne than Ben Aflleck, he is currently just three years younger than his predecessor was when he debuted as the “old” Bruce in Batman v Superman. Whether the “Epic Crime Saga” continuity is rolled into the DCU or not, Pattinson could easily step into the role for the DCU. Diehards would understand that he is a multiversal variant of Reeves’s character. Casual moviegoers wouldn’t care.
For now, a Chinese Wall existing between the DC universe created by Reeves and Gunn. Yet, the longer the DCU delays introducing its own Batman, the more sense it makes to keep Pattinson under the cowl. Any “year one”-style stories could unfold in animation, and the live-action films could follow a veteran Batman complete with a full Bat-Family of Nighwing, Red Robin, Damian Wayne as Robin, and any number of Batgirls or Batwomen. Hell, 20 years from now, Pattinson could step in as Bruce Wayne with some young actor currently in diapers for the DCU’s Batman Beyond.
To be clear, this is all just speculation, and Gunn’s Batman plans could be announced next week after Clayface‘s debut. Meanwhile Reeves might continue making Batman films and spinoffs like The Penguin for another decade. The possibilities are just fun to think about. Yet, when the DC fandom in social media isn’t engaged in tired and offensive fights about Zack Snyder and James Gunn, they are annoyed at the perceived delays. That’s partly what diehards do. Still, regardless of what reason is behind the state of limbo for Batman in the DCU, all this waiting could result in either of the above options, which would be pretty damn cool.
The Batman Part II is currently in production and is set to debut on February 18, 2028.
