James Gunn Calls Batman His 'Biggest Issue' in the DCU, but Says 'I Think I Have a Way in' — GeekTyrant

Geek Tyrant

17-06-2025

As James Gunn prepares to kick off his vision of the DC Universe with Superman this July, there's one character looming larger than the rest… Batman.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn didn't shy away from admitting that Batman is his 'biggest issue' in crafting the new DCU, and not just because the character already has a critically acclaimed version running parallel in Matt Reeves' corner of Gotham.
When asked if Robert Pattinson's Batman could eventually cross into the DCU, he said:
'It would be a consideration. We'd have to think about it. We'd have to think about it. It is not like we've never discussed it. I would never say zero, because you just never know. But it's not likely. It's not likely at all.'
And for fans wondering that The Batman: Part II has been tossed aside for Gunn's new universe, he had a direct response:
'Batman Part II is not canceled. That's the other thing I hear all the time — that Batman Part II is canceled. It's not canceled. We don't have a script. Matt's slow. Let him take his time. Let him do what he's doing. God, people are mean. Let him do his thing, man.'
Meanwhile, Gunn and The Flash director Andy Muschietti are developing The Brave and the Bold , a separate Batman project based on Grant Morrison's run. This version introduces a new Bruce Wayne and his son that he's unaware of.
The film is still early in development, and Gunn isn't writing it himself, but he's deeply involved in getting the tone and purpose right. he explained:
'Batman's my biggest issue in all of DC right now, personally. And it's not — I'm not writing Batman, but I am working with the writer of Batman and trying to get it right, because he's incredibly important to DC, as is Wonder Woman.
'So outside of the stuff that I'm doing in the projects that are actively going, our two priorities are finishing our Wonder Woman and our Batman scripts.'
The challenge for Gunn isn't just making another Batman movie, it's figuring out why this Batman needs to exist in the DCU at all.
'Batman has to have a reason for existing, right? So Batman can't just be 'Oh, we're making a Batman movie because Batman's the biggest character in all of Warner Bros.,' which he is. But because there's a need for him in the DCU and a need that he's not exactly the same as Matt's Batman.'
Gunn also has no interest in swinging the pendulum back to a lighter campy take on the character:.
'He's not a campy Batman. I'm not interested in that. I'm not interested in a funny, campy Batman, really.'
Still, despite all the complications, Gunn sounds optimistic.
'We're dealing with that. I think I have a way in, by the way. I think I really know what it's — I just am dealing with the writer to make sure that we can make it a reality.'
I'm excited to see what Gunn and Muschietti are going to deliver with with this new Batman movie, but it's gonna be a while before anything is revealed about it.