WICKED Star Jonathan Bailey Responds to THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD Batman Fan Casting
As DC Studios continues building its new cinematic universe, one of the biggest unanswered questions still looms large… who will don the cowl as Batman in The Brave and the Bold?
When James Gunn and Peter Safran announced their Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters slate back in early 2023, fans immediately started speculating about who would be cast as the DCU’s Dark Knight.
Now, nearly three years later, the mystery remains. With Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II finally gearing up to shoot next year as part of DC’s “Elseworlds” label, Gunn’s Batman is still waiting in the shadows.
We know Andy Muschietti is attached to direct The Brave and the Bold from a script by an unnamed writer, but casting has yet to begin. That hasn’t stopped fans from making their picks, and one name that keeps popping up is Jonathan Bailey, star of Wicked: For Good and Jurassic World Rebirth.
Recently, Bailey addressed the growing online fan movement calling for him to take up the mantle of Bruce Wayne. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, he didn’t exactly shut the door on the idea.
"Would I do Batman? I grew up with Val Kilmer, George Clooney, obviously Christian Bale, and Robert Pattinson. It’s a legacy. I think James Gunn is amazing. Who knows..."
It’s a short answer, but it’s enough to show he’s at least intrigued by the possibility. But, is he the right man for the job to play Gotham’s brooding protector? He’s already proven he can handle intense action scenes, and he’s got the charisma for Bruce Wayne’s billionaire alter ego. Maybe we’ll find out.
As for Gunn, he’s previously addressed how introducing a new Batman while Reeves’ The Batman franchise continues might confuse audiences, but he doesn’t seem too worried.
"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.
“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."
Audiences today are well aware of multiverses and parallel storylines. With The Batman: Part II existing separately and The Brave and the Bold serving as the mainline DCU version, fans can handle it.
Whether Bailey ends up being the next Caped Crusader or not, his response has definitely kept the conversation alive. Until Gunn finally reveals his Dark Knight, the speculation will continue.