James Gunn Hints the DCU’s Batman Casting Could Be Closer Than Fans Think
Few superhero roles carry as much weight as the Caped Crusader, and every new live-action version arrives with years of debate attached. For the DC Universe, that debate has been simmering since the franchise began undergoing a major transformation under James Gunn and Peter Safran. Fans have spent the better part of a few years scanning every interview and social media reply for clues.
The Batman question has been especially stubborn. Gunn has repeatedly shot down casting rumors, including a fan-circulated cast list that put Jensen Ackles in the cowl, which Gunn dismissed on Threads. At another point, he flatly said casting for the DCU Batman hadn’t even begun.
That is what makes the latest update so notable. Collider reports that Gunn has now confirmed the DCU is getting closer to finding its Batman, with casting for ‘The Brave and the Bold’ described as “not far away.” He also made clear that no actor has been cast yet.
The comments came on his ‘Is It Canon?’ podcast, where Gunn said it won’t be long before they’re casting Batman, who isn’t cast yet. He also warned that any rumors of a specific actor showing up in this or that project shouldn’t be trusted. Then he added a curious twist: “If I gave somebody a day role in Suicide Squad who is going to be the best Batman, I’m not going to rule him out from that.”
In other words, the next Dark Knight could already be somewhere in Gunn’s orbit. It also hints at how he plans to approach the search, which is less about star power and more about fit. Gunn says he is prioritizing finding the right actor rather than simply choosing the biggest movie star, and he described being able to pick a Batman who is actually the best actor for the role as one of the things that excites him most.
Age is part of that equation too. Gunn said it is “a huge thing” and that Batman and Superman are roughly the same age. Since Superman is in his early 30s in the 2025 movie, that points to a younger Bruce Wayne than many fans might have expected. Earlier, however, Gunn had hinted that Batman would be slightly older than Superman, so the exact number remains fuzzy.
A younger Bruce would also raise questions about the film’s story. ‘The Brave and the Bold’ was originally announced as a Damian Wayne movie, and it remains to be seen whether the film has moved away from that storyline or will simply involve a younger Bruce. For a character who is Batman’s son, the casting puzzle gets more complicated.
The timeline is another factor. Gunn has said he won’t release two Batman movies in the same year, and ‘The Batman: Part II’ was recently delayed to February 2028. That suggests ‘The Brave and the Bold’ won’t hit theaters until 2029 at the earliest. Gunn has also reportedly preferred not to cast roles like Batman until the script is complete, so that the actor can fit the story on the page.
Even so, an announcement doesn’t have to mean cameras are rolling. And with Robert Pattinson continuing to lead his own Batman franchise, the DCU’s version of the Dark Knight has to carve out a separate identity. Even the recent Gotham-set DCU movie ‘Clayface’ left Batman conspicuously absent, which only makes the wait more noticeable.
Gunn has a track record of being direct about what is and isn’t true, and he is clearly aware fans are watching his every word. The fact that he now describes Batman casting as close, rather than “miles and miles away” as he once put it, suggests real movement behind the scenes. For now, the cowl remains empty, and the speculation is only going to get louder.
