James Gunn Promises His DCU Version of Batman Will Arrive Before 2031
The DCU is in full swing with Peacemaker raising hell across dimensions, Superman taking flight, Supergirl on the way, Clayface creeping in, and a whole squad of Green Lanterns ready to light up the galaxy. But, the question every fan keeps asking is, where’s the new Batman?
Well, DC Studios co-head James Gunn just dropped a tiny update that somehow says a lot. Over on Threads, a fan asked him if we’d really have to wait until 2030 or even 2031 for Batman to show up in the DCU. Gunn’s answer?
“No.”
That’s it. Short and blunt. Now, there’s a lot to unpack with that little word. Gunn and his partner Peter Safran announced a Batman film, with The Brave and the Bold, when they first took the DC reins.
Since then, Gunn has been pretty open about one thing, they’re not rushing it. He’s made it clear the script has to actually be worth making before cameras start rolling, which means it’s been in the oven for a while now.
Batman is already booked for another big-screen outing with The Batman: Part II, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, which drops on October 1, 2027. That film (and The Penguin spinoff) lives in its own universe, far away from Gunn’s interconnected DCU.
Pattinson’s brooding vigilante isn’t the same Batman who will eventually cross paths with David Corenswet’s Superman or John Cena’s Peacemaker.
So here’s the likely math: Reeves’ sequel lands in 2027. Warner Bros. won’t want two different Batmen competing for box office attention right on top of each other. That points to Gunn’s Brave and the Bold Batman hitting screens a couple years later.
If Gunn says it’s coming before 2030 or 2031, then 2029 feels like the sweet spot. Give audiences a breather, then unleash a fresh Dark Knight.
Of course, all of this is still speculation. Gunn himself has said he’s not going to rush Batman just to hit a date, but he’s clearly thinking about it. Batman is too big of a deal for DC and Warner Bros. to get wrong.
When do you think we’ll see The Brave and The Bold hit theaters?