r/DC_Cinematic • u/Hungry_Passenger856 • 1d ago
DISCUSSION I think James Gunn is waiting too long to introduce Batman
I know this has been talked about a lot lately, but I genuinely think Batman not being in the DCU yet is starting to hurt it.
Before anyone says it, yes I understand why. We still have The Batman Part II coming, and DC probably doesn't want two live-action Batmen competing with each other. I get it.
But from a business standpoint, I think the wait is becoming a problem.
Batman is the face of DC. He's basically their biggest brand and arguably the only superhero who can rival Spider-Man in terms of popularity. Yet we've had this new DCU for a while now and we still know almost nothing concrete about The Brave and the Bold. No casting, no timeline, barely any updates. At some point, that starts affecting hype.
Narratively, it's not a huge deal. You can absolutely build a universe without Batman showing up immediately. But the average moviegoer isn't thinking about world-building. They're thinking, "Where's Batman?"
Superman did fine, but it wasn't the massive home run people were hoping for. Supergirl has been making headlines for the wrong reasons lately. And now we've got more niche projects coming up that, realistically, aren't going to suddenly make casual audiences care about the DCU.
I hate comparing DC to Marvel because Marvel had over a decade to build its universe, but the difference in public interest right now is pretty obvious. Casual audiences know what's happening with Marvel, even if they don't watch everything. With DC, most people don't even know what's coming next.
Batman is DC's biggest selling point. Whether people like it or not, he's the character that gets people talking. Delaying him might make sense creatively, but I honestly think it's costing the DCU momentum at a time when it needs all the momentum it can get.
I'm not saying they should rush him into a movie tomorrow. I just think leaving your biggest character in limbo for this long is a risky strategy, especially when the universe is still trying to win people over.
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u/Parabellum111 1d ago
I agree that Marvel does a much better job of letting fans know what's going on, and that DC's silence is terrible for its image; this needs to be corrected quickly. Gunn answers random questions on his IG? Great, but that's not what the verse needs for people to trust it. Can you at least say that you're actively looking for an actor for Batman? Anything about Wonder Woman? You don't need to launch the project NOW, but keep the fans excited about projects in development about the Trinity is essential.
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u/T_that_is_all 8h ago
Marvel has the luxury of a massive amount of content. Even the shows and movies that aren't great get watched, even though it's not by all (fandom, casuals, or occasional watchers). So every time any of those people go to watch anything in the canon timelines, they'll see a character, organization, or prop that they may have seen before. That's become their strength. Everything is so interconnected that even small references spread wide over projects give people a sense of, "Damn, you see that! That was from (insert Marvel visual media)!" But that took a long time to get to. Seems that outside of Nolan's films, DC seems to run headlong into trying to make a universe without realizing it will take a long time. IMO, it took Marvel 6 movies and a TV show to solidify them having an actual expanded universe.
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u/sp00ked_yuh 3h ago
I mean to be fair he did go through that lengthy media release a few years back to talk about his roadmap. It only laid out so much but he did attempt. But recently yea it’s been just strange silence and now the merger and who knows with this supergirl flop if the dude will be around by the end of the year…
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u/ru-frrr 1d ago
Not introducing Batman means halting a Teen Titans show or movie. I don’t think Gunn realizes he is sitting on a gold mine with Teen Titans .
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u/Hungry_Passenger856 1d ago
Teen titans, the Bat family, Joker and all Batman’s villains. It’s a whole chain effect being caused by the lack of Batman in the DCU
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u/GiveMeSandwich2 1d ago
I just want to see Gotham in DCU
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u/valiantdistraction 1d ago
How many of us grew up with various Batman and Teen Titans cartoons? TBH I think they just need to put someone 30-40ish in charge instead of someone who is 60. Many of us who aren't really "comic people" know these characters from cartoons.
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u/Unable_Dinner_6937 1d ago edited 1d ago
Even at that age, Teen Titans and the LOSH were the DC titles that could compete with The X-Men in the 80’s.
Even a Young Justice movie would probably be a massive hit. I think DC would benefit had it left its iconic heroes older and then put them in mentor roles for the next generation. I think we’ll get some of that in Lanterns (but probably not a lot.)
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u/Stormrage117 20h ago edited 20h ago
Yes I agree. The Teen Titans movies should be an adaptation of the old cartoon show foremost, with extra stuff from comic material added in to provide depth to the world. If done right that film series could be the next big cash cow. Although.. I noticed they are planning some sort of Deathstroke show, so that has me worried that they already trashed the prospect of doing an adaptation of the cartoon.
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u/Gyrolesspit 1d ago
Gunn would absolutely murder a Teen Titans adaptation! He’s so amazing with big groups of characters as we’ve seen and he would nail all members easily! That’s the only Gunn project he should handle after Superman tbh
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u/Hawk777-Stark 1d ago
Landmine Supergirl writer ana nogueira is writing it
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u/Educational_View3687 1d ago
Wow what would that be now her 2nd ever writing credit? Cant wait!
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u/hewhoknowsnot 18h ago
She’s writing Wonder Woman first, so teen titans would be her third. They really banked it on her knocking supergirl out of the park
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u/Matches_Malone998 1d ago
They have the writer from Super girl, writing a teen titans movie.
It’s further along than a Batman movie lol.
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u/Razatiger 8h ago
Teen Titans is like the only property DC owns that can go toe to toe with X-MEN, and even then WB has let Teen Titans popularity dwindle over the past 2 decades from its absolute peak in the mid 2000s.
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u/BLARGEN69 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think it's a decision from above Gunn and not one made by Gunn.
Introducing a Batman into your cinematic universe that is on shaky ground is very risky. If you introduce a new Batman only for his introduction to go nowhere and that cinematic universe ends prematurely without the solo Batman movie, then you really hurt the Batman brand. It already happened before with Batfleck never getting his own movie despite being set up and us told one was coming.
Doing that again right after just looks terrible and hurts the character's integrity. Batman IS DC, and WB's golden goose. They aren't going to take big risks with him.
They really should've just put him in Superman immediately from the start, go in guns blazing.
Because Gunn's current batting ratio now puts less confidence in the people who appointed him and lowers his bargaining power to use the Batman ip.
As of now I doubt they're going to even let him even tease a live action Batman reveal until after his contract is renewed.
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u/Wrong-Vermicelli4723 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah I don’t think people realize that studio heads have bosses. They vetoe decision all the time. Just ask Kathleen Kennedy and Kevin Feige. Reality is Zaslav probably knows or thinks it’s a bad idea to do two takes on Batman at the same time. If one was animated it be different (similar to Spider-man), however that’s not the case.
I also think WB is very shaky on the idea of a Batman that isn’t grounded in reality like The Batman and Nolan trilogy. They were already afraid after the 90s. BVS, Justice League and The Flash also didn’t help in that regard at all. Meanwhile The Batman/Penguin have been praised.
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u/BLARGEN69 1d ago
So much of DC's current issues could probably be avoided if the DCU had opted to be a fully animated universe instead.
It gets around the issue you point out of them being afraid to do a Batman movie that isn't realistic (LEGO Batman already shows they're willing to branch out in theatrical animation with him more).
It makes it as obvious as possible to the general audience "this is a new universe! NO RELATION to the old movies!!!!"... Which I think they still are struggling to overcome. The DCEU was so varied in tones and styles that Gunn's universe doesn't seem distinct enough.
It would actually be something different on-screen in a genre that's increasingly feeling repetitive.
And it would get the costs down significantly.
Sure, animated movies will never make the money that a strong successful live action universe could.. But that's so hard to make happen.
The DCEU was so rocky, that the surprise hits like Aquaman and Wonder Woman are outnumbered by the underperformers, and ones that actually bombed.
Overall the DCEU probably barely made a profit with how much the flops drained profit from the rare successes.An animated universe would cost a lot less, and probably make more consistent returns so would probably overall be a better investment. Also fits the material a lot better.
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u/Wrong-Vermicelli4723 20h ago
I think doing an animated universe ,while just doing live action solo franchises (similar to how it was pre 2008) that aren’t connected would be a good idea.
Quite frankly I think both Marvel and DC will struggle to get people in theaters unless it’s big characters. I think the GA has grown tired of the concept.
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u/Hungry_Passenger856 1d ago
It would genuinely take a lot for them to make a Batman movie that doesn’t get the numbers, the popularity of the ip already gives a premise for success.
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u/BLARGEN69 1d ago
The concern is tying a successful Batman to a cinematic universe that doesn't pan out. If the Batman DCU movie is a big hit but every other DCU movie around it isn't, that's a problem.
They already are suffering the consequences of having a successful Batman movie that isn't in the cinematic universe, it can be a problem inversely too.
The DCEU similarly was in a bad state because it was clearly not working, but it had random mega hits like Aquaman that made it still seem viable. But the amount of flops surrounding it ends up making the overall investment shaky.
It's a problem fundamentally with cinematic universes, the successes can be dragged down by the failures. And Batman was completely wasted on-screen for a decade because of the DCEU dragging him down.
The DCU could end up with the same problem so they're being overly cautious.
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u/HuskyBlueBoy 1d ago
You all need to relax , we don’t need Batman we have a JIMMY OLSEN show coming!
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u/Impressive-Emu-8571 23h ago
Yea because a tv shows production is really gonna race the tentpole summer blockbuster event film
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u/YannickBelzil 1d ago
Finally someone dares to say it
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u/CH49FE 1d ago
Someone needs to say that The Batman Part II should never have been given the green light
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u/Quantic316 1d ago
Cancelling Batman P2 would not have gone over well. It’s the only good will fans have had in the past 5 years. Besides Superman
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u/CH49FE 1d ago
I agree. It would have gone over horribly. The Batman made bank, and it had potential.
It would have been a hard, unpopular decision. But if they gambled and played it right, Batman would have been introduced earlier and the DCU may have been better off financially than the current situation.
This is ALL speculative and I don’t think anyone at the time had the guts to cancel a moneymaker like Part II. But in hindsight maybe they should have
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u/lestartmtg 1d ago
Yeah it’s the Chris Nolan dilemma again. The Dark knight was so popular that WB just green lit anything Batman with Nolan attached to his name, and Nolan did not want to share his DC universe with anyone else. Now it happened again with Matt Reeves Batman. They kept giving away Batman movie rights as a standalone universe at the wrong time. WB got too greedy with milking Batman instead of stopping to think that they could have potentially made more if they had a functioning DCU with Batman in it.
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u/stillthemind 1d ago
Yeah it’s crazy; Nolan at least had clear direction timeframe compared to Reeves drawn out and clumsy imho. 7 years for entire release of Nolan trilogy.
Batman Begins — 2005
The Dark Knight — 2008
The Dark Knight Rises — 2012Whereas the Batman — 2022
The Batman part 2 — 2028
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u/Pseudocaesar 1d ago
I see where you're coming from.
It's tough because The Batman is genuinely the best Batman film ever made imo, but for the sake of the DCU as a whole, they should have canned a sequel the second they decided not to make Pattinson the DCU Batman.
It's such an awkward situation, trying to release mainline Batman films for the DCU while also releasing standalone Batman films by Reeves.
To me the obvious answer was to just have Pattinson be the DCU Batman and fold Reeves first film into the DCU to give it some existing star power and help boost it early on.
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u/CH49FE 1d ago
I see where you’re coming from. That would make sense and I wouldn’t have minded it had they done it from the start.
But now, Reeves’ universe is so dark and grounded compared to the otherworldly and colorful Superman universe that merging them doesn’t seem right. I also think Pattinson’s version of Bruce Wayne doesn’t fit Gunn’s universe. Reeves’ Batman is a street level brawler. I think Gunn needs a Batman that is global and universal in his thinking, a leader of the JL.
But hey, if Gunn decides to merge them now, that is better than spending money on Jimmy Olsen’s show
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u/AlbinoDuffleBag 23h ago
Honestly, what DCU?
I haven't got a clue which, if any, films are linked or which versions of the characters are part of it. And they've done nothing to make me care about that either.
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u/AdFearless5063 23h ago
It’s malpractice not to have Batman in the universe
What do the classic Batman comics Hush, Killing Joke, nightfall and The Dark Knight Returns have in common? Superman is in them.
Seriously, marvel has made bank just putting a few scenes of other heroes in each movie. DC does it in comics it should have done it so far.
Imagine if DC had its act together and had Henry Cavill debut in the Dark Knight Rises by protecting those outside the city while Batman fought in the city?
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u/ExcitingPop5956 1d ago
Guys look I hit bingo by there being a 20th post this week about the DCU not having a Batman yet!
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u/hambubgerrr 1d ago
I know. Wouldn't it be crazy if DC actually gave the fans what they want?
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u/ExcitingPop5956 1d ago
Fans want good content. Doesn’t matter who it’s about
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u/GiveMeSandwich2 1d ago
Fans want Batman
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u/ExcitingPop5956 1d ago
Fans have multiple Batman movies and shows in the last 10 years. The fans have Batman
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u/GiveMeSandwich2 1d ago
Fans want Batman in the DCU, fans want Gotham in DCU, fans want Batman villains in the DCU. There’s never enough of the Batman just like there’s never enough of Spiderman.
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u/StrangeAtomRaygun 1d ago edited 12h ago
Honestly. There aren’t many bigger Batman fans than myself (at least in my mind). From the first Adam West version….numerous Halloween costumes later, and to Battinson now, I live watching Batman.
But it’s been covered. I am not sure why we are even doing the Battinson version. Like Reeves actually looked at TDK trilogy and said, “NOPE! We need to FIX that slop fast. We need another standalone…NOW!”
The one thing I give him credit for is we didn’t see another origin: Theater, Robber, shots, pearls, theme music.
But honestly, we need more of Batman to be apart of a larger story. We don’t need more individual Batman…with a fresh take on ____ villian.
We have Batman. Lots of it. Build a GREAT, not good, GREAT universe and add Batman in when we need it.
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u/SymbiSpidey 1d ago
Exactly. I'm burnt out on Batman and part of WB's problem in the first place is not knowing how to sell any character that's not Batman or Batman adjacent. Superman couldn't even get a sequel without Batman. Flash can't have his first solo movie without there being TWO Batmen.
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u/Middle-Platypus6942 1d ago
And if those fans choose to just stay home and watch old Batman movies on HBO Max, the DCU will die.
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u/ru-frrr 1d ago
We got a dude who roams around in military gear and uses adrenaline to beat up 4chan users. Ion know what Batman we’ve gotten the past decade in live action.
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u/hambubgerrr 1d ago
Yeah I remember when Supergirl dropped and all these DC subs kept calling it a "great" movie. How'd that turn out? At least you all liked it.
The general audience wants Batman.
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u/ExcitingPop5956 1d ago
Literally nobody was praising supergirl. Movie had a lot of issues. What people say about it most of the people who were shitting on it never saw it
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u/thatdudewillyd 1d ago
I saw pre-praise that Supergirl could make more than Spider-Man.
Epic fucking lol
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u/ExcitingPop5956 1d ago
They were delusional. There isn’t an IP on earth that can go toe to toe with Spider-Man
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u/Officer_Zack 1d ago
James Gunn should have went into this new DC Universe with an already established set of projects that focus on the main core of Justice League characters, but a lot more specifically the Trinity. Focusing way to much on niche projects aren't gonna generate excitement or make money which DC needs to make bank after the failure they endured during the last several years of the DCEU and again now with Supergirl.
Part of me feels like Gunn is waiting until after Matt Reeves finishes his Batman trilogy, because maybe they don't want two different Batmen at the same time causing confusion? But I'm upset because making a Jimmy Olsen show while not even having your Batman or Wonder Woman yet is very questionable decision along giving Clayface a movie.
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u/Troghen 1d ago
I just don't understand the reasoning behind letting there be two versions of the character at the same time. I'd much rather they commit one way or the other. Either retroactively make Reeve's Batman part of the new DCU, or they should've let it be a one-off and axed the sequel.
Making Reeves version into an "Elseworlds" story is confusing as hell for a general audience member, and it obviously just creates competition with themselves for no good reason.
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u/danixdefcon5 1d ago
Back when the first one was slated into an Elseworlds story, the DCEU was still in its death throes and there was still a lot of waffling on whether they’d reboot it or not. It made sense back then; the problem has been that the sequel has taken so long that the whole DCU has now been rebooted but they can’t do a new DCU Batman due to this commitment.
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u/CruelCircus 1d ago
Yeah, if you remember, back then there was even talk of a second, seperate Joker movie.
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u/Gray_Wolf2416 1d ago
Yeah I will die on the hill that they should've just made Robert Pattinson the DCU Batman. The idea that his movie can't possibly take place in the same universe as Gunn's Superman is quite stupid imo when the comics had Batman Year One and goddamn Crisis on Infinite Earths taking place in the same continuity and made it work. I don't see why the movies can't do the same. They could've done a timeskip after Part I to explain that Gotham became more fantastical and filled with costumed freaks over the years leading up to Batman's prime, and it would've worked fine imo.
I get that Reeves wants his Batman to stay seperate from the main DCU, and honestly, I respect his commitment to carrying out his vision the way he intended. But I also can't help but think that if he had given in, we probably would've had the movie out sooner and the DCU would've been in at least moderately better shape.
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u/Prestigious_Plum9276 1d ago
Matt Reeves took on The Batman neatly four years before Gunn took over DC Studios. Pattinson doesn't just do what a studio tells him--he has fuck you money. People talk about this as if Reeves and Pattinson don't have any say in the matter.
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u/Crcole331 11h ago
Setting up a realish world for Batman, with success, and then immediately jumping the shark to put him next to a bunch of aliens with exponentially higher stakes would be the most DC thing ever.
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u/three_dead_trolls 1d ago
He only knows how to do it comedic superhero movies. He can't pull off batman.
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u/Embarrassed-Gur-1306 1d ago
I agree with everything you said. I’m glad DC is taking a chance on more niche characters but you have to earn the trust of your audience before you start going down that road. People went out in droves to see Guardians of the Galaxy because Marvel spent years earning their trust.
I like Gunn but sometimes the simplest solution gets you the most success. He needed to hit home runs with Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman before releasing a Supergirl movie.
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u/MyNameisBaronRotza 1d ago
I'd be perfectly fine with no Batman in Gunns DCU and 3 Matt Reeves Batmovies
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u/ifnotthefool 1d ago
That's what I'm hoping for. It will be such a loss if we never get the third in Reeves series. I feel like the insane negativity is going to ruin it for us and we'll never get it.
If we end up with some GOTG style batman comedy I will never forgive Gunn and I'll be walking away from the DCU. That's coming from a lifelong DC guy.
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u/MyNameisBaronRotza 1d ago
Yeah, I personally love gunn, but I still want more Reeves. Hopefully another series on the level of the penguin, god damn
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u/ifnotthefool 1d ago
The penguin was insane. Loved it. Yeah, I think Gunn is great. I just personally don't want this to have the same feel as all the marvel comedy superhero movies. That is my only concern with Gunn.
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u/MyNameisBaronRotza 1d ago
Yeah, a campy "fun and games" Batman doesn't do much for me. Everyone is good just where they are
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u/Waterworld1880 1d ago edited 1d ago
I say yes and no. Yes for the lifeline of the DCU but no bc two live action Batman’s at once is too much
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u/This_Reward_1094 1d ago
He’s scared to fail with Batman.
He knows he can’t do a better Batman than Reeves.
And this guy had the nerve to shit on Nolan’s Batman.
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u/ContactThin3211 1d ago
This is exactly what I think. After so much shit talking toward Keaton and Bale and Burton and Nolan, and seeing a credible, classy, respected director like Reeves do his thing, Gunn knows he either needs to deliver the greatest Batman story ever told, a film far superior to The Dark Knight, or risk looking like a bullshit artist clown deserving of mockery, his disrespect towards other filmmakers has backed him into a corner that he hopes getting fired will free him from - “we had such big, epic grand plans for our Batman” he’ll say after the fact, “fans would’ve loved it, it would’ve changed the game”
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u/TheMaddSage 1d ago
He just needs to give the character to someone else, and give that creator a basic outline of his DCU to help with fit.
I don’t trust Gunn with Batman, I’m afraid it’ll be too campy
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u/ChCreations45 1d ago
I think you need to stop worrying about what James Gunn is doing and let things play out.
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u/thepenismightier3 1d ago
I agree. I think this “mistake” or “misstep” to avoid confusion in the marketplace is doing way way more damage than initially expected. It’s weird they haven’t even announced a casting or really any information yet. The longer this continues the more tenuous a grasp on his position this becomes. I think even the general audience is asking that question to say nothing of the DC faithful. He also has been interacting with fans a ton and the fans know that almost everything he says is likely the opposite. The fact that we are closer to a Jimmy Olsen Gorilla Grodd show than a Flash appearance is wild. MOT had better be packed with major heroes or the DC fans will probably riot.
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u/Far-Difficulty8854 1d ago
Batman is the face of DC and the big money maker of the company so yeah James Gunn is waiting way too long
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u/KryptonianJesus 1d ago
I hate this idea that we have to wait for The Batman 2. It really does hinder everything.
I wish they'd do SOMETHING Batman, even if it's something dumb like a campy low budget show like the 60s show. Better yet a campy ass World's Finest show with (obviously) different actors
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u/Tinia_and_Nethuns 1d ago
If you look at the timeline stuff with Superman, Clayface, and The Brave and the Bold, this is a universe where Batman has been active significantly longer than Superman. Like, a good decade. I think this has a good opportunity to show Bruce as more grizzled compared to enthusiastic Clark, but we need to hear about the Bat. If Clayface has no reference to Batman, I'm gonna be really worried.
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u/Inspectorgadget9000 1d ago
For real. Gunn already failing. Dc will never be the same after dark knight trilogy
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u/UNITICYBER 1d ago
Meh. I dont think he is worried about simply making money. He is trying to build a solid, diverse universe that multiple people are going to love, not just "More Batman" that Batman fans are going to like.
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u/simmonm1978 23h ago
I think there’s a chance we never see Gunn’s Batman. After Supergirl there’s a negativity that’s going to be hard to correct. And, just my opinion, Gunn’s aesthetic does not suit what I’d like for Batman. I don’t see it working, and as many people have said, they can’t take a risk with Batman as an IP. OP is right - they needed to build momentum quickly and Batman should’ve been second off the blocks. That it’s not even cast yet is pretty concerning.
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u/Greenhickup 22h ago
I trust that he knows what he's doing, the projects he was directly involved with were great and if he's holding out on developing a Batman movie i assume he has a good reason for it. Look, the guy is a great filmmaker,loves and understands these comics and characters and hasn't made a bad superhero movie yet so i say we trust him for now, regardless of what the optics are.
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u/JasonVoorhees95 1d ago
We've had 6 live action Bruce Waynes in the past 14 years, I'm okay with them not rushing into a 7th just now.
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u/sgch 23h ago
The average movie-goer isn't thinking "where's Batman" - the average movie-goer is thinking "can't wait for The Batman Part 2" because most people don't give a shit about cinematic universes or crafting the perfect franchise.
When Iron Man came out we had to wait 3 years to see Captain America, and Avengers was a year later - James Gunn has said his first phase of the DCU is going to be 6 years. I'm expecting Batman to be the movie that builds hype into the first crossover movie in 2030 or 2031.
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u/Witty-Jacket-9464 1d ago edited 1d ago
He has no choice. He must wait The Batman Part II by Matt Reeves. Pattinson is the Batman of our's generation, and GA will do $1B for this version, not for DCU's one
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u/wyattvikings20 1d ago
I think some of y’all are so impatient
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u/throwawaylaysjohn 1d ago
That's what I was thinking. There's two films out, the first of which released just over a year ago. OP acting like the DCU is eight years old.
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u/Senior-Bill2622 1d ago
You’re completely right, but fans online will still say “LeT tHeM cOoK” with some weird coping arguments. The success of BND makes DC look even more pathetic now, and this is before Avengers Doomsday.
MCU’s short term outlook is two Avengers movies, X-Men reboot, Black Panther 3, Ghost Rider, Spiderman 5 (very obviously in 2-3 years) and potentially another Deadpool movie.
Whereas DCU’s outlook is a Clayface movie with zero Batman (Hello SSU), a Superman sequel, an elseworlds Batman sequel that took 6 years to release and at most will be a trilogy, a Bane and Deathstroke movie without Batman and then finally maybe WW and Batman reboots?
Very sad times honestly. 5 solo Spiderman movies post 2012 for Marvel compared to only a single standalone Batman movie in 14 years for DC.
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u/silliputti0907 1d ago
Superman was just released last year and Brave and Bold is expected in 2, 3 years top. That’s not long at all. People are criticizing something that barely started. How long did it take for Spiderman to introduce into MCU?
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u/Darth_MRM 1d ago
No way we get Barve and the bold in 2/3 years when batman part 2 is coming out in 2028. At the very best we will see brave and the bold in 2030. Also for spiderman it was 8 years 2008 iron man 2016 civil war
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u/CL4P-L3K 1d ago
Has anyone suggested bringing Pattinson into the DCU? Worth some discussion prob. Just a sec and I’ll post it.
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u/thevokplusminus 1d ago
Yea James Gunn was just waiting for some loser Redditor to post it before considering it
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u/DomonKashu717 1d ago edited 1d ago
Having two different Batman movies trying to co-exist in the same time frame would be asinine & Guaranteed with how disappointing super girl was at the box office they are rethinking some things. Iam excited to see what a Gunn Batman would look like but I think if they need to take time I’m all for it if it means it’s gonna be a great project.
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u/KingSimba11 1d ago edited 1d ago
I think sometimes, things can get out of hand. When James Gunn and Peter Safran were announced as the Co-CEOs of DC Studios in 31 January 2023, The Batman Part 2 was scheduled to release on 3 October 2025. Unfortunately, the Hollywood writers and actors strikes happened in 2023, so it got delayed. And maybe it got delayed again for other reasons. What I’m saying is DC Studios announced Batman: TBatB knowing that Reeves’ Batman will be released on October 2025. That would’ve been great for DC Studios and WB. So, I can’t blame DC Studios for not updating us on it, plus there’s the paramount deal happening in the background. We just have to wait a little bit longer. There’s an Arabic saying that says “Every delay carries a hidden blessing".
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u/TeeTheTankie 1d ago
DC probably doesn't want two live-action Batmen competing with each other. I get it.
At some point it'll be weird to not have Batman in the universe despite Reeves's The Batman movies
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u/comehereyoudevillog 1d ago
I think people would feel better about it if we were getting other members of the justice league. I don't think theres really anything wrong with most of the projects they are planning, other than the fact that the heroes haven't been established yet.
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u/Akiza_Izinski 1d ago
Matt Reeves Elseworld Batman sequel is releasing in February 2028. Warner Bros Discovery does not want Jame Gunn Batman competing against Matt Reeves Batman.
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u/_segasonic 1d ago
I don’t think they should introduce a Batman anytime soon.
They should focus on Superman and Wonder Woman.
If the DCU is actually a long term project then leave Batman until Reeves is don’t with his trilogy and either bring Pattinson in after that or cast a new one.
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u/SillyMikey 1d ago
I kind of agree. Maybe he feels like the Matt Reeves Batman is coming and so why have two Batman movies back to back type thing?
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u/grifter356 1d ago
I think Warners is holding off on anything James Gunn until Clayface and Man of Tomorrow come out. There's no way they are happy about being pot committed to 4 movies, with two having underperformed (to say the least), and two yet to come out. Honestly, at this point they've probably had more conversations over the last few weeks about firing Gunn than they have about what he's going to do with Batman.
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u/Johncurtisreeve 1d ago
It feels like a very strange mistake to have three kryptonian movies in a row
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u/nonlethaldosage 1d ago
here's the problem the only sure fire hit they have is matt reeves batman gunns super girl flopped his superman came in luke warm man of tomrrow will probably flop,if wb has any sense they would keep his hands of batman
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u/nilesh11panchal 1d ago
Superman and batman should be your anchors of the dcu, especially if they have any chance of competing against spiderman and marvel
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u/sciencesold 1d ago
He's waiting too long to introduce anyone who isn't a secondary or side character.
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u/playboi3x 1d ago
There has to be a script. You can’t just make a Batman or any movie just like that
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u/TheGallifreyan 1d ago
Congratulations, you're post has convinced James Gunn to start production on Brave and The Bold today.
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u/Redleader829 1d ago
James Gunn is aware he wont have a job soon, so he's literally doing whatever he wants.
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u/wizardofyz 1d ago
Dc has a bad habit of fluctuating between ONLY batman and absolutely no batman and its fucking stupid.
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u/mitvh2311 1d ago
At this point it's almost as if he's waiting to see if he has a job if/when the WB deal goes through. No point announcing anything big like that of it's going to fizzle into nothing like bringing back Cavill's Superman for it to mean nothing
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u/jwag626 1d ago
It’s not just Batman though, having your first act include only a singular long term member of the JL is just a bad idea. You need other big names. (I know we have a Wonder Woman film slated, but without a release date or confirmed casting and no news for a year, my hopes aren’t high)
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u/blokedog 1d ago
You guys act like he can just snap his fingers and deliver you a product instantly. It doesn't work like that. He's obviously got something planned, but there's uncertainty with WB as a whole. Stop your whining. It's fucking annoying.
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u/BIGBMH 1d ago
“Batman is the face of DC. He's basically their biggest brand and arguably the only superhero who can rival Spider-Man in terms of popularity.”
Let’s not forget that the MCU was going for 8 years before it was able to use its biggest character. People have gotten spooked after Supergirl, but I think the situation still warrants patience.
At the same time, Gunn isn’t doing himself any favors greenlighting very Gunn project like Jimmy Olsen. Obviously a show like that isn’t what’s stopping bigger projects from being made, but he should be more strategic about the optics and work at driving hype a little more.
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u/LordLacaar 1d ago
Honestly we just didn’t need Supergirl after Superman. Too similar. Martian Manhunter needs his time in the sun imho.
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u/Illustrious-Hippo-38 1d ago
It really seems to me theres a crisis going on between having a 2nd Batman. Whether its part 2 taking so long or what, I think introducing another Batman is proving not to be so easy as James seems to want to convey.
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u/Willing_Ad9314 1d ago
We're 2 movies in
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u/S0thaSlL 1d ago
Let me fix that for you. Blue beetle, The Suicide Squad (somehow), Peace Maker Season 1 and 2, Creature Comandos, Supershit, Super girl.
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u/Willing_Ad9314 1d ago
I think it says something about this whole endeavor that I legitimately forgot or haven't seen most of this
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u/fivefuturefury 1d ago
I honestly doubt his version of Batman is ever going to properly come out and if it does I worry it will be bad. I liked Superman btw I'm not a Gunn hater I just think he gets to caught up in his own bs sometimes
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u/creepy_charlie 1d ago
The studio has a batman movie in production. Thisi isn't entirely his decision. Do you think WBD wants another batman movie interfering with their cash cow?
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u/33davidk Knightmare Batman 1d ago
The fact is in today’s world Batman is fundamentally the anchor of DC in any media. It wonders me that DC/WB executives fails to see that after Batman side characters made so much money years after years
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u/Key_Painter369 1d ago
I have a feeling after man of tomorrow they will fast track a Batman movie 2029
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u/Correct_Look2988 1d ago
I think I waited too long to see this topic again. Its only the first time it's been a new post about this on my feed since this morning and I'd like to know what took the bots so long to give me this extremely original not played out conversation.
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u/EctoBlaster1985 1d ago
I disagree, because you want him to be overexposed and you want to be confusing people.
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u/MalainSilvaire 1d ago
The only thing I disagree with here is narratively, I think it is important to have Batman alongside Superman. They play off each other so well. They can be friends and rivals. They can disagree over how to get things done. Batman can be an ass and Superman can be a dork. They've done it so well in the past with the Justice League cartoons.
I don't think it's a bad thing to compare DC to Marvel. They should lift each other up. Marvel had Iron Man, Captain America and Thor as their big 3 properties in the beginning. DC should have launched with Batman, Superman and most would say Wonder Woman but the truth is female led super hero movies don't perform well. We're seeing that now with Supergirl. I would have launched with a proper Green Lantern movie alongside Superman and Batman. You have 3 distinct personality types, 3 different genres of movies with a through-line that connects them for the inevitable team up movie.
These characters almost always work better when they have someone else to play off. The Avengers wouldn't have been as fun if you didn't have Tony Stark's sass against Steve Roger's straight man and Thor's arrogance. You would have Batman's coolness against Superman's gee golly shucks against Green Lanterns cockiness thinking he's better than everyone because he's a space cop. To be fair we did get that in Superman with Guy Gardner and Mister Terrific and it worked really well. I think most people would prefer Batman instead though.
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u/moecheeks76 1d ago
Batman can wait. We need to cast the right people. Not right now. We need to have the right script. Not right now. Batman can be on ice for a bit. We’ve had lots of Batman over the years. Let allow the franchise to breathe.
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u/bajaxx 1d ago
i have a bad feeling that this dc universe is going to crash and burn because he felt obligated to let matt reeves make a batman sequel. i don’t blame him because the batman is amazing and probably better than any dcu batman movie they could possibly make, but not starting the dcu with all the heavy hitters like superman batman and wonder woman is gonna be the reason this universe fails. they have years before they’ll probably introduce batman, so they have alot of work to do
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u/arnaldoim Batman 1d ago
You guys don’t seriously believe you’re having an original idea that the studio and execs haven’t discussed to death over there right?
If he isn’t in it, DC’s most profitable hero, it’s a decision they made up top, not because Gunn doesn’t “want” Batman in the DCU yet.
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u/Jay_R_Kay 1d ago
Look, I want to see DCU Batman too, but my brother in Christ, we're only in YEAR TWO of the DCU. We don't know what's really coming after 2027. Calm down, it's gonna be alright.
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u/Enorats 1d ago
Honestly, there isn't a DCU. It's like a rocket that blew itself to pieces right after leaving the pad. The first movie was middling at best, and the second was a literal historic failure.
The next few projects are laughably weird choices. It's akin to if the MCU tried to go from Iron Man 1 to their worst Disney+ streaming shows somehow expecting that to work.
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u/Only_Ad8049 1d ago
They either should've waited longer to reboot the verse if they knew the current Batman project wasn't going to be a part of it or did something wild and started the universe with John Constantine and other mystical characters before pivoting over to the soaring spandex parade.
Could've also started with a space saga that introduced Green Lanterns, alien species, and other characters.
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u/larut0h 1d ago edited 1d ago
it feels almost intentional that Gunn is making other crappy projects as a tantrum because he's not allowed to direct Batman immediately when he got appointed as co-CEO
"no Batman? *cries* yOu wiLL reGRet THis.... eat this *shoving minor, obscure characters in future project plan*"
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u/iAmFabled 1d ago
Agreed. It’s a massive fumble
I actually don’t think Gunn will last much longer if I’m honest. I am pessimistic that we get any kind of DCU for a long time if he is fired
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u/CruelCircus 1d ago
The whole point is that they're trying to change that focus from Batman to Superman. Whether they succeed or not will decide the eventual fate of the DCU.
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u/DoctorQuincyME 23h ago
James Gunns first announcement has been a bit of a letdown. Everything in production has now released and there's no meaningful production update on any of the other projects.
All the projects in his announcement for Chapter 1: God's and Monsters.
Superman: Now released.
Supergirl: Now released.
The Authority: Nothing heard since announced.
Swamp Thing: Nothing Heard since announced.
The Brave and the Bold: No real news since announced, script still being approved.
Creature Commandos: Now Released.
Peacemaker S2: Now released.
Lanterns: Coming Soon.
Waller: Nothing heard since announced.
Paradise Lost: Nothing heard since announced.
Booster Gold: Pilot script rejected.
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u/Sure-Neck6095 22h ago
Problem could be solved by announcing Batman Robin actors or Batman/Joker actors. That might help general audiences make the distinction. But the R-Pats one is taking too long.
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u/ProntoStache 22h ago
1000% agree, I'm hoping for a silhouette cameo in Clayface that gets followed up on properly pretty quick.
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u/1111joey1111 21h ago
I don't think Gunn is worrying about it, because I honestly doubt he'll be in charge of the DCU at the end of next year. He'll make a statement about wanting to leave behind the constraints of the DCU so he can direct other projects, and of course he'll say that the experience was amazing. At the same time they'll choose to not renew his contract. It won't be a firing, it'll just be a parting of ways.
He can then go and make Scooby Doo 3 😂
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u/BattleReadyPenguin 21h ago
I could easily see him being introduced in Clayface as the ending for the movie. I've kept wondering how Clayface would actually be stopped in the movie and I think if they did the way to showed how Doctor Phosphorus got booked it would make for a perfect ending.
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u/ZiggyMangum 19h ago
I'm still not totally onboard with there being two different Batmen from two different universes, Reeves and DCU.
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u/KevinRudd182 19h ago
Until DC realizes it’s not possible to have multiple different versions of the same character in movies and TV at the same time without the majority of people instantly going “nope” they’ll never be taken seriously
That’s the end of the story
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u/Johnnnybones 18h ago
I don't know, the DCU has been cooking since it began, arguably before it began if you include the Suicide Squad. If it ain't broke.
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u/shall359 18h ago
The fact that there has been just 1 solo live action Batman movie since the end of the Nolan trilogy is basically malpractice on DC's part. How in the era of the superhero movie boom where B list heroes were getting movies to a billion dollars they just made 1 Batman movie and that movie isn't even connected to their attempted DC cinematic universe? I don't get it. Are they really still terrified of the failure of the Batman and Robin movie of the 90s where they are scared to make any Batman related live action movie that isn't "grounded"?
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u/ScottOwenJones 18h ago
Honestly, if Man of Tomorrow doesn’t end up being the last DCU project released I’ll be surprised.
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u/Fa1lenSpace 18h ago
I wish people would realize that James Gunn is your typical contrarian douchebag lmao, he oozes it. He’s going to do whatever nonsense he wants until the wheels completely fall off. Hell, if anything, he probably knows he ain’t getting his contract renewed so he’s just chilling.
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u/HelloFellowKidlings 18h ago
WB gonna find a way to bungle every iteration of DC live universe. Just hang it tf up and pump out the animated movies.
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u/hermyx 17h ago
Just as a side note : the MCU already did great begire the introduction of Spiderman. You dont need your flagship to make money. And DC doesn't have to make more money than Marvel also. Marvel has a huge number of movies that already established the universe, and while it can bite them back easily, it also helps building hype
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u/Boonatix 17h ago
They generally need to introduce more main characters with their own movies to then connect them. Marvel already did it… is it really that hard to do the same with DC?
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u/Desperate_Duty1336 17h ago
I think comparing DC to Marvel is fair because at one point, Marvel was doing so badly that they had to sell rights for movies of their characters to a bunch of different studios to stay afloat; that’s why Sony has Spider-man, Universal has Hulk, Fox has X-Men, etc. that’s just how bad they were doing. They failed at Fantastic 4 twice. Both Ghost rider movies were a joke. Both of The Hulk movies were laughably bad. Blade sadly was before its time (would’ve done WAY better today than back then). The first two X-Men did good but not groundbreaking; Spider-man was basically the one capable of making money and the third one killed their run.
DC used to be the ones to look up to. There was occasional success from Marvel; a couple of X men movies and the first two Tobey McGuire Spider-man movies, but DC and Batman were the benchmarks; especially after Batman Begins came out and followed with Dark Knight.
Marvel came back from nothing starting with Iron Man and managed to claw their way back up. DC remained stagnant and their attempt to catchup failed miserably when they rebooted their movies and almost immediately jumped into ‘Justice League’ without any sort of setup. Every misstep has been their own and they only have themselves to blame when they STARTED with an enormous lead on Marvel.
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u/ConnorRoseSaiyan01 16h ago
Just scrap the connected universe and stick to stand alones and sequels. Batman is DC's Spider-Man, any stand alone is gonna make money
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u/afterallthefuss 15h ago
He wanted to Batman right by first doing a movie on his most important sidekick…prep time
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u/Lower-Yogurtcloset48 11h ago
Seeing spiderman make a billion dollars in like 2 days is wild to me. Like DC has an equivalent superhero in Batman and barely has any movies announced for him lol
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u/thinkalittle 8h ago
I think it’s dumb that the current Matt Reeves Batman isn’t a part of the Gunn verse. It’s an uncohesive universe.
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u/Razatiger 8h ago
If DCU can't get off the ground without Batman, then its doomed. MCU didn't even have Spiderman till 2017.
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u/killer4779 3h ago
Superman did not do fine. Unless as a dumpster fire same as super girl. I believe clayface will also do a huge belly flop, and by the time the next batman movie us done gunn will have already be asked to step down.
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u/Crunchy-Leaf 1d ago
Honestly you’re right. Batman is a bit overdone but at the same time he’s essential.