A writer is now working on The Brave and the Bold, but DC Studios is reportedly in no rush to put out yet another Batman movie into the marketplace.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Christina Hodson is writing The Brave and the Bold, which will be the first Batman movie in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s rebooted DC Universe. Hodson is best known for writing 2018’s Transformers spinoff Bumblebee, 2020 DCEU movie Birds of Prey, and 2023’s ill-fated The Flash.
She may be set to reunite with The Flash director Andy Muschietti, who THR said remains on board The Brave and the Bold but whose involvement is not set in stone given his commitments to Welcome to Derry Season 2. Either way, it sounds like The Brave and the Bold is some way away. THR said “it would be some time before a definitive draft comes in as the studio is taking a measured approach to its development.”
Gunn must also navigate next year’s release of The Batman 2 and potentially The Batman 3. The Batman 2, starring Robert Pattinson in the title role, is set to launch five-and-a-half years after The Batman, on October 1, 2027. Writer-director Matt Reeves has said he set out to make a trilogy of Batman films as part of his Batman Epic Crime Saga, and as of 2024 that plan was still on. The Batman films exist in a universe separate to the ongoing DCU, and given Gunn has ruled out Pattinson’s Batman crossing over, we’re set for a new actor to play the Caped Crusader for The Brave and the Bold.
This week Gunn suggested fans won’t get an update on The Brave and the Bold until after The Batman 2 comes out, so we’re probably looking at 2028 at the earliest for news. “I’m dependent on when there’s an actionable script ready so there is no way of me guessing this,” he said. “Also, frankly, we’re well into Batman 2, and I wouldn’t want to cloud the Batsphere until after that.”
Gunn then committed to never releasing two Batman movies in the same year. “I think both Batman and WW [Wonder Woman] are incredibly important,” he said in response to another fan. “But I’m also not going to have two Batman movies come out in the same year.”
Reinforcing that sentiment, THR said DC is “giving Reeves’ project ample space to breathe and is in no rush to put forth another Batman feature into the marketplace. It wants to make sure that Brave and the Bold is distinct enough in tone and look to stand apart, regardless of when it gets made.”
While promoting the rebooted DCU kickstarter Superman last year, Gunn admitted: “Batman’s my biggest issue in all of DC right now.” While fans wait for The Brave and the Bold to see Gunn’s Batman in all his glory, Episode 6 of DCU canon kickstarter Creature Commandos showed Batman standing on a rooftop looking down at crime boss Doctor Phosphorus. The image below revealed a mega-stacked Caped Crusader in his iconic costume, but there was little else that could be discerned about Gunn’s take on the superhero.
Based on comments Gunn issued to Rotten Tomatoes TV following the release of Episode 6, it’s easy to see why this brief look at Batman was so generic. Gunn said he asked for “more silhouette” after the original Batman on show was more detailed than he was ready to commit to at the time.
What this look at Batman did provide fans with, Gunn explained, was a clear indication that Batman not only already exists within the DCU during the events of Creature Commandos and the Superman movie, but that he is well-known within the universe, and that’s why there’s no need to tell his well-documented origin story.
Gunn then made an interesting comment that suggested the DCU Batman will team up with Superman at some point.
“This is the DCU Batman,” he said of the Creature Commandos cameo. “Listen I gotta tell you, I just love Batman. I love him. I’ve loved him since I was a little kid. He’s one of my favorite characters. I’ve gone on the record in the past when I was at Marvel saying my favorite character is Batman. I love him and we’re going to do great things with him. He’s the most popular superhero in the world and I can’t wait for people to see more of him, along with Superman, and together.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
