Superman got the DC Universe franchise off to a great start, but James Gunn cautions it’s going to be a while before some key Justice League members show up. During an appearance on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, the DC Studios co-head was asked when fans could expect to see the likes of Batman, the Flash, and Aquaman in the DCU. Regarding the Caped Crusader, Gunn suggested that he would not want the DCU’s The Brave and the Bold to hit theaters at the same time as Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II, which is set in a separate continuity. As for Flash and Aquaman, Gunn implied it would be at least two years before audiences meet the new iterations of those characters.
“Probably not the same calendar year,” Gunn said in reference to the timelines for the two Batman films that are in development. He also shared that Brave and the Bold is still in early stages. “We have things that are much further along than Brave and the Bold.”
The Batman Part II, the next installment in Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga franchise, is scheduled to premiere in October 2027. After a lengthy period of time, the filmmaker finally finished the sequel’s script this summer. Reports indicate casting for The Batman Part II will take place in the fall, meaning there ideally will not be any further delays. Gunn said he likes Reeves’ screenplay.
As far as the DCU is concerned, Gunn has confirmed that The Brave and the Bold and a new Wonder Woman movie are currently being written. Neither will begin production until those scripts are completed. There have been various reports indicating Wonder Woman is being fast-tracked and that DC Studios is targeting a specific kind of actor for the role, but Gunn has cast doubt on those rumors, saying the casting process won’t even be discussed until a script is finished.
Gunn’s strategy for Flash and Aquaman is logical. Both of those characters were integral parts of the DC Extended Universe and headlined solo films as recently as 2023. Neither of those projects were particularly successful, so it makes sense to put Flash and Aquaman on the sidelines for now before bringing them back to the fold. DC Studios can take time to figure out a sound strategy for them, coming up with a new take that’s radically different from what came before and will excite viewers. Perhaps after a handful of years, audiences will be ready to see a fresh spin on Flash and Aquaman, especially if the DCU is able to build on Superman‘s success with Supergirl and Clayface.
It will be very interesting to see how the Batman situation unfolds. In the past, Reeves has talked about his desire to make a trilogy of The Batman films, and there’s been reports of more TV spinoffs set in that franchise. Between 2022’s The Batman and last year’s The Penguin, the Batman Epic Crime Saga has proven to be very successful. Fans are interested in where Reeves is taking his story. At the same time, a character as important as Batman can’t be absent from DCU films forever. Based on what Gunn’s saying, The Brave and the Bold won’t debut until 2028 at the earliest — and that’s if the script is completed without any issues. Gunn has admitted there’s a Batman problem he needs to sort out. The Elseworlds idea he’s touted sounds great on paper, but more casual audiences could become confused if there are two different live-action Batman film franchises running simultaneously (even if the projects are released in different years). Hopefully that picture becomes clearer soon.
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