Following the Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) merger, the studio underwent significant restructuring, leading to the departure of Walter Hamada, the former head of WB’s DC film division.
Related: DC Shoots Down Next Robert Pattinson ‘The Batman’ Installment
James Gunn, renowned for directing the Guardians of the Galaxy series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for The Walt Disney Company and The Suicide Squad (2021) (which is separate from the 2016 film with Jared Leto as the Joker), has succeeded Hamada in his role, alongside co-CEO Peter Safran.
In the new phase of the DC Universe (DCU), called “Chapter One – Gods and Monsters,” James Gunn and his newly formed DC Studios are set to overhaul the previous DC Extended Universe (DCEU) to start afresh.
The key focus is the upcoming film SUPERMAN (formerly titled Superman: Legacy), which stars DC newcomer David Corenswet (Hollywood) as Clark Kent/Superman, essentially replacing Henry Cavill. This film, inspired by the DC Comics series of the same name, is designed to reboot the continuity established by Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Man of Steel continuity, often called the “Snyderverse.”
Related: DC’s ‘Superman’ Premiere Surprisingly Moved to October
But after Superman gets the reboot treatment, the next classic DC hero up for reboot is Batman/Bruce Wayne, with a fresh iteration of the character to usher in the “Bat Family” of associated superheroes and adopted wards/Robin(s) under Bruce Wayne’s care.
This would succeed the Ben Affleck Batman (or “Batfleck”) from the DCEU’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) franchise by Zack Snyder and live alongside the Robert Pattinson Bruce Wayne, now relegated to the “DC Elseworlds” brand of multiversal entertainment along with Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker from the Joker franchise.
The Batman 2 Halves Cast of Villains
Batman in the DC Comics has long been one of the cornerstone character franchises of the DC brand for years, and it seems like the second film in director Matt Reeves’ DC Elseworlds universe, The Batman 2/The Batman II, will effectively halve its roster of possible villains and storylines, by imposing certain restrictions on what can and cannot make it to the big screen.
Deadline reported that Matt Reeves’ The Batman will only focus on “grounded” and non-“fantastical” aspects of Batman lore, with Reeves himself insisting in the interview with SFX magazine that Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne/Batman will only ever face the more realistic aspects of the Bat-canon:
What was important to me was to find a way to take these pop icons, these mythical characters that everybody knows, and translate it so that Gotham feels like a place in our world. We might push to the edge of the fantastical but we would never go into full fantastical. It’s meant to feel quite grounded.
When confronted with the likelihood of adapting the supervillain Gentleman Ghost by fans who thought the character would fit The Batman‘s existing story, Reeves shoots down that possibility:
It doesn’t mean that you won’t see characters that people love. That’s exactly what we want to do. Gentleman Ghost is probably pushed a bit too far for us to be able to find a way to do, but there is a fun way to think about how we would take characters that might push over into a bit of the fantastical and find a way to make sense of that.
This news puts a large chunk of well-known Batman rogues gallery favorites like Poison Ivy, Clayface, Killer Croc, Man-Bat, Solomon Grundy, and even Lazarus Pit-loving Ra’s Al Ghul and his immortal League of Assassins likely out of commission — and these are only a few among the many wild and wacky Batman villains that are unlikely to ever debut and face up against Pattinson’s Dark Knight.
One of the key elements of a successful Batman story is undoubtedly the contrast between the brooding, all-black Caped Crusader Batman and the more brightly colored, out-there villains who act as a foil to Bruce Wayne’s overall grimdark look and sparkling personality. Case in point: Batman’s most famous villain is arguably the clown-faced Joker (and his crazy girlfriend, Harley Quinn).
Without those “fantastical” elements, one wonders what exactly remains in the lore of the superhero franchise about a grown man dressing up as a bat-themed costumed vigilante to fight crime.
However, it does seem more likely that in contrast to Reeves’ more “grounded” approach, DC CEO James Gunn’s The Brave and the Bold side of Batman and the extended Bat Family set to debut in the main DCU, will explore those “fantastical” and “mythical” elements.
Are you excited to see more Batman in either Reeves’ The Batman franchise or Gunn’s The Brave and the Bold? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
More on The Batman
Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, The Batman offers a gritty, noir-inspired take on the iconic superhero.
Set in the early days of Batman’s crime-fighting career, the film follows his investigation into a series of murders orchestrated by the Riddler (Paul Dano), exploring themes of corruption and revenge. The cast also features Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon.