In late October, it was announced that The Suicide Squad’s James Gunn had been tapped to co-run DC Studios with producer Peter Safran. Since then, Gunn has occasionally gone on Twitter to share what little he can about what’s going on at DC Studios behind the scenes, like when he commented on Wonder Woman 3 reportedly being cancelled (among other DC movies shakeups) and declaring that Superman is “a huge priority, if not the biggest priority.” Now Gunn has once again gone on the social media platform to talk DC, this time shooting down a big rumor concerning Robert Pattinson’s Batman, and The Batman director/co-writer Matt Reeves chimed in too.
It’s well known among fans that The Batman takes place in a separate continuity from what’s been referred to as the DC Extended Universe, with Robert Pattinson’s playing a younger Bruce Wayne in the former and Ben Affleck having played the older, more experienced Bruce in the latter since 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Today though, a source that spoke to Variety said that James Gunn and Peter Safran were “exploring the possibility” of bringing Pattinson’s Batman into the wider DC universe, but Gunn quickly declared this to be untrue.
There are few reporters I love more than @adambvary - truly a good guy - but in this case he needs to get a new source as this is entirely untrue. https://t.co/a7cnbTfpSiDecember 14, 2022
As if James Gunn’s word wasn’t already enough, Matt Reeves, who’s spearheading the expansion of The Batman universe, confirmed what Gunn had to say.
The source I’m really liking on this is Mr. @JamesGunn https://t.co/fYmy5to9A7December 14, 2022
There was a time when The Batman was envisioned as the first solo movie for Ben Affleck’s Batman, and the story would have seen him battling Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke, which was teased at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. However, once Matt Reeves came aboard the project and Affleck stepped away, it was retooled into a reboot following a Bruce Wayne who’s into his second year of fighting crime in Gotham City. Pattinson’s Batman operates in his own corner of the DC multiverse, and according to James Gunn and Matt Reeves, there aren’t any plans to change that.
Although there are rumblings that the DCEU might be rebooted in favor of launching a new shared universe, for now, it’s still going. As such, this continuity already has Batman handled, whether we’re talking about Ben Affleck’s iteration or Michael Keaton’s version taking over following the reality-changing events that unfold in The Flash. While that’s going in, Robert Pattinson’s Batman can continue operating his own space; one in which, from what we’ve seen so far, doesn’t have any superpowered or enhanced individuals in it.
As for what Matt Reeves has planned for The Batman universe, along with The Batman 2 being greenlit in April, HBO Max subscribers can look forward to a show centered on Colin Farrell’s Penguin that’s set one week after the first movie. There’s also an Arkham series in development, and reportedly villains like Scarecrow, Clayface and Professor Pyg are being considered for their own movies.
We’ll keep you apprised on what’s happening with both The Batman universe and the wider slate of upcoming DC movies as more details come in. The next DC movie on the docket is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which opens on March 17, 2023.
