Seemingly ever since the very second that James Gunn was announced to be co-running the revamped DCU along with Peter Safran, comic fans have inundated him with questions about his upcoming Superman film, the narrative continuity of Peacemaker, and myriad other upcoming DC movies, shows and characters. One of the biggest rumors he’s constantly debunking is that the DCU’s Caped Crusader has been cast. Making things more amusingly complicated? Former Lex Luthor actor Jon Cryer.
Perhaps best known for his fan-favorite work in Pretty in Pink and Two and a Half Men, Jon Cryer entered the supervillain fray by portraying Superman’s greatest foe on the Arrowverse’s Supergirl, while also appearing on other series as part of the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event. (Funnily enough, that was a franchise that also never cast a proper Batman.) The actor was more amusingly snarky than malicious when poking fun at Gunn’s latest rumor denial on Threads, where he joked about being the not-so-secret new Dark Knight. In his words:
Nice try, @jamesgunn, but some paps caught a shot of me when I screwed up my cowl fitting by leaving it on when I went to Jamba Juice. (My bad)
All the Bruce Wayne-level detectives out there likely picked up on the fact that Jon Cryer called the beverage spot Jamba Juice instead of its current shortened moniker Jamba, so if he actually IS the DCU’s Batman, he’s clearly from an alternate “Elseworlds” timeline where the company never changed its name. That’s definitely what the case is, and it’s not anything far simpler.
More sincerely, I do love that Cryer accessed the situation, was aware that James Gunn was pushing back against Batman rumors, and instead of either helping or offering sympathy, he doubled down and made himself part of the casting rumor mill. Granted, I doubt anyone would truly believe the Superman IV actor is the next in line to don the cape and cowl, but the fact that he created that much more of a mess for Gunn to wade through is a rather Joker-esque way to troll the filmmaker.
While he was probably amused by Cryer’s comment, James Gunn didn’t exactly write a treatise on the benefits of humor with his response, which amounted to:
Shoot.
Speaking of ze Joker, I voiced some of my biggest hopes for DCU Joker casting whenever Gunn honored the comic book antagonist’s 80th anniversary, though we may be waiting a really long time before the Clown Prince makes his arrival in the DCU, given how many other versions there are at this point. (Gunn has already confirmed Matt Reeves’ The Batman and its fictional universe are separate from DCU continuity.) But Jon Cryer would be an interesting choice for the cackling madman now that I think about it.
The Brave and the Bold will likely be the first time fans will see the DCU's Batman, barring any secret cameos built into Superman. But it's not entirely clear if and when that project will be moving forward, so there's really no realistic implication for when we'll learn more about who will be playing Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter ego.
Fans can catch Jon Cryer's bald and bearded Lex Luthor with a Netflix subscription, as that's where the bulk of the Arrowverse shows are currently streaming. And in the meantime, head to our 2024 movie release schedule while pining away for Superman's release in July 2025.
