According to Hollywood insider Jeff Snieder, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav wants James Gunn’s DCU version of Batman on the big screen sooner rather than later in an effort to better compete with Marvel Studios.
The report explains that one idea that’s been considered is for The Batman star Robert Pattinson to become the DCU’s version of the Dark Knight following the sequel’s release.
This seems ridiculous to me because Pattinson’s Batman clearly does not fit into the DC world that James Gunn is building. That is going to have a very different vibe than what we saw in The Batman and what we are seeing in The Penguin series.
While this is only a rumor, and this is something that may only be being discussed right now… why is this conversation even happening behind the scenes?
Gunn already announced a Batman: The Brave and the Bold movie with Andy Muschietti set to direct, and that was the movie that would introduce the new DCU version of Batman.
However, if Zaslav is so worried about getting Batman up on the big screen sooner rather than later, maybe there are some behind-the-scenes issues with Brave and the Bold. Gunn and Peter Safran have a plan in place for Batman, so if these conversations are happening, the leadership is obviously questioning those plans.
But, then there were was that comment from Gunn when he said that now scrapped Arkham Asylum-set TV series was going to be part of the DCU, which baffled everyone because it was meant to take place in the same world as The Batman.
When asked for further clarification, Gunn said, “Yes. We love Matt as a director and producer so he’ll be producing stories both within his The Batman universe and within the DCU.”
The project is inspired by Grant Morrison’s popular Batman comics run, and it will focus on Bruce Wayne’s relationship with his biological son, Damian Wayne. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is said to be one of Gunn and Safran’s favorite projects.
When previously talking about this project, Gunn said: “So this is the introduction of the DCU Batman, Bruce Wayne, and also introducing our favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, who is a little son of a bitch, assassin murderer, who he unwittingly takes on, who’s Batman’s actual son that he doesn’t know exists for the first eight to 10 years of his life, and he brings into his life and this is a story. It’s a very strange sort of father son story about the two of them.”
I’m not sure what to make of all of this. But, if what Snieder is saying is true, then there are some strange things going on behind the scenes and WB and DC Studios are still trying to figure some things out.
