James Gunn responds to any concern about having The Brave and The Bold from the DC Universe at the same time as Robert Pattinson’s Batman. One of the most highly anticipated projects in the DCU’s Chapter 1: “Gods and Monsters” is the upcoming reboot for Bruce Wayne, as a solo film is currently in the works at DC Studios.
However, even though it will be a new take on the DC legend, many audience members have been making their voices heard about wanting to see The Batman universe merged with Gunn’s new superhero continuity. Matt Reeves’ franchise will remain as an Elseworlds property, while existing at the same time as the iteration in the other universe.
During an interview with the Phase Hero podcast, Gunn was asked if he had ever had any concern about whether or not audience members would be able to follow the idea of having Pattinson’s version at the same time as the version that is coming up in the DCU. The DC Studios co-CEO responded with the following:
James Gunn: Yeah, but sometimes. But is it causing anybody grief in any way? I think it was the same thing. I think that people are really starting to learn about stuff like that. Will it ever cause? One of the weirdest things for me is that big fans are often like, “Well, listen, I understand this, but normies will never understand this. Casuals will never understand this.” But the truth is, guys, that you’re the ones that don’t understand.
The casuals always understand. You can say, “Oh, yeah, he’s changed Peacemaker, there was some Justice League [characters that] was in that. Now it’s Justice Gang.” And regular people who just like TV shows are like, “Oh, okay. That’s weird.” And then they’re done. But the people who really focus on this stuff, they’re in our bubble. And the people in our bubble think that everyone outside of that bubble is too stupid to understand nuance. And it is just totally not the case.
The Batman Part II cast is set to start production in April 2026, following the completion of the screenplay by Reeves and Mattson Tomlin earlier this year. Andy Muschietti is attached to direct the Dark Knight’s reboot in the main continuity, with the DC story still being written as of right now.
What James Gunn’s Comments Mean
Even though there is a huge percentage of comic book readers who are part of following superhero movies, it doesn’t represent the entire general audience, which is what the Superman director is alluding to in his new comments. While the two universes may be heavily discussed, this isn’t a concern that casual viewers are overly concerned about, especially with The Brave and the Bold movie.
There have already been plenty of examples where DC has had multiple live-action franchises going at the same time, with the DCEU movie timeline and the Arrowverse being great examples. Both properties had various takes on famous heroes and villains concurrently, including players like The Flash.
Our Take On James Gunn’s Comments
The DC Studios co-CEO couldn’t be more right about this situation, and if anything, the world now gets to enjoy two unique takes of the Caped Crusader in live-action at the same time. While Pattinson’s hero gets to represent the hero’s younger path, the other one will get to be more established, including having an active Bat-Family.
The DCU casting for the Dark Knight has also not started, which means it may be a while until Gunn’s franchise has its version of the Gotham City crimefighter while Pattinson’s sequel gets ready to shoot in 2026. Hopefully, more updates on The Brave and The Bold will emerge sooner rather than later.
