James Gunn Was Asked About The Brave And The Bold, And I Was Surprised By His Update About The DCU Batman Flick

The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, with a number of shared universes currently competing for box office supremacy. Fans were shocked when James Gunn and Peter Safran were named co-CEOs of the DCU, and that they were creating a new timeline and universe of interconnection projects. One of the highly anticipated upcoming DC movies is The Brave and The Bold, which will feature Batman and his son/Robin Damian Wayne. Gunn was recently asked about that project, and I was surprised about his update about the new DCU Batman flick.

The first phase of the new DCU is titled Gods and Monsters, and there are a number of intriguing projects included in the line up. The Brave and The Bold will presumably introduce a new Batman, and will finally include one of his proteges thanks to Damian Wayne’s Robin. James Gunn was recently asked on Instagram if casting announcements for the movie are coming, and he responded by saying:

No. We don’t even have a script yet.

Well, that was surprising. It looks like DC fans shouldn’t hold their breath for the reveal of who is playing Batman and Robin in the new shared universe. Namely because The Brave and The Bold doesn’t even have a script yet. That’s obviously an important step that is going to inform the casting choices made down the road. 

James Gunn’s comments on Instagram come as he and Peter Safran are hard at work crafting the new DC Universe. Things will kick off with Superman: Legacy, which the Guardians filmmaker is also directing. But while the cast of Superman: Legacy is being assembled, that’s not the case for other developing DC flicks. After all, they’re each in different stages of the development process.

Given just how popular Batman is as a hero overall, smart money says fans are going to be constantly asking for casting announcements until they’re finally made. The Caped Crusader has been adapted for film countless times, with plenty of actors suited up to play the beloved hero. And whoever becomes the DCU’s new Bruce Wayne will have to share that honor with Robert Pattinson, who stars in Matt Reeves’ The Batman franchise

The Brave and The Bold is particularly exciting for hardcore fans because it’ll be the first time in many years that one of Batman’s proteges appears on the big screen. This is something fans have been waiting for, but never happened in the DCU. The closest we got was the dead Robin’s suit in Batman v Superman, as well as the scrapped Batgirl movie. We’ll just have to see who lands the role of Damian Wayne, and how young the actor ultimately is.

The next DC movie hitting theaters is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on December 20th, which will be the final installment of the DCEU as we know it. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.