Summary
- James Gunn clarifies that there is no truth to recent rumors about casting Batman in his upcoming DC Universe film, citing the ongoing strikes and lack of a script.
- DC Studios cannot make any casting decisions for Batman: The Brave and The Bold until the strikes end and a script is finalized, making it difficult to move forward with auditions.
- With Batman being a widely-used character in media and DC Studios focusing on other projects, saving Batman: The Brave and The Bold announcements until closer to its release may be the best approach.
James Gunn has once again clarified what is going on with the casting process for Batman in his upcoming DC Universe. Several heroes getting reimagined for the new DC Universe, and Batman is confirmed to be one of them, as Gunn and Peter Safran have a solo film in the works for the Dark Knight. While no release date has been set yet, The Flash director Andy Muschietti has been set to helm Batman: The Brave and The Bold.
Despite DCU’s Batman: The Brave and The Bold movie being far away in DC Studios’ Chapter 1, “Gods and Monsters” plans, the fan base is continuously dying to find out who will be the next star to suit up as Gotham City’s infamous vigilante. Ever since the January announcement, various fan casting ideas to endless rumors of who may be playing Batman in the DC Universe have been floating around online.
Over the weekend, John Krasinski became the latest Hollywood actor to be rumored for the role of Batman in Gunn’s DC Universe. @GetSnart asked Gunn on Threads if there is “no truth” to the DC Universe rumblings regarding the DC icon. Gunn responded, stating “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” but stressing that “we don’t even have a script, and there’s a strike happening, so no, no casting,” referring to the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes that are still in effect, and how this prevents a DCU Batman casting at the current time.
Why The DCU’s Current Batman Movie Plans Aren’t Concerning
As eager as fans are to see who will be the next actor to portray Batman in live-action, Gunn’s latest updates aren’t concerning. Given that the strikes are still happening, there is nothing DC Studios can do even if they had an actor that they were ready to sign on for Batman: The Brave and The Bold. With no script in place, it’s also harder to get through the casting process, as the screenplay can play a vital part in the auditions.
Another major element to consider is that Batman has been used in media more than most DC heroes. The character has been over saturated to the point where criticisms have been raised about whether there has been too much Batman content over the years, and DC Studios has a lot of other characters that are getting their own projects, with several of them making their live-action debut. Out of all the Chapter 1 “Gods and Monsters” films and shows that have been announced, Batman: The Brave and The Bold could easily be saved till much later, and announcing aspects too early could therefore sabotage building hype closer to its release.
Even if the Dark Knight’s solo movie doesn’t get released until 2027 or later, Batman could still appear in other DC Universe films in order to let the audience get a taste of this new iteration of the Caped Crusader. With Batman: The Brave and The Bold also set to introduce Batman’s son Damian Wayne/Robin for the first time in live-action, DC Studios can benefit from taking more time to perfect the script and properly flesh out how they are going to use the Bat-Family in the new franchise. For now, the world will have to wait and see who Gunn will actually cast as Batman in his DC Universe.
Source: James Gunn/Threads