James Gunn has refuted rumors of release date clashes between multiple Batman projects, directly responding to fan inquiries about the situation. His comments also shed light on the connection between the next high-profile cinematic experience and smaller projects.
Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in March 1939 and almost immediately became one of the most popular comic characters in the entire industry, becoming the main star of Detective Comics and alongside sidekick Robin and Batman’s other most important characters Together the characters support the characters that defined the genre’s golden age. Since then, the character has been refined and updated with the times, with numerous comic books and adaptations in every genre imaginable, most recently Batman.
After it was announced earlier this year that Matt Reeves’ Batman trilogy would continue outside of Gunn’s proposed DCU slate, fans began to speculate whether this would result in a conflict of interest or a chaotic project release, leading one fan to Shout out to DCU bosses on social media. In a now-deleted tweet, a fan expressed concern that Gunn interfered with Reeves’ vision and unduly extended the production process. “I’m not sure where you got your production date from, but Batman 2 will come out as early as possible, enough time for Matt to do what he needs to do to make it as good as possible,” Gunn responded .
While Gunn’s co-CEO Safran insisted that the pair are “entirely invested in Batman’s success, like we do everything else,” Gunn clarified that the investment was purely hands-off. “Matt is working on Batman – Part II, which he sees as a Batman crime saga that also includes the Penguin TV series,” Gunn said in an interview with DC.com. “Batman is its own thing. Matt is working hard. He came in the other day and pitched us some cool stuff, so our plan is to keep doing that. Building Batman into the broader DCU though is doable, but Reeves or most fans don’t seem interested in it.
Gunn and Safran are focusing on another Batman project in The Brave and the Bold, an upcoming mainline DCU film based on Grant Morrison’s comic of the same name, announced alongside the next Superman movie and other projects, as Part of the first chapter of the Slate. While The Batman’s filming window will begin this November, Gunn clarified that the release windows of the two films won’t collide, promising that “everything will balance out, so The Brave and the Bold won’t be released in 2019.” Appears within the same six months as Batman.
While the logistics of DC Studios’ release window may be better known to some fans than some fans, the question of potential uncertainty still looms over the franchise since Gunn and Safran took over the reins, and fans are so worried about Shazam 2’s future. Director David F. Sandberg recently had to provide a pledge update on social media to encourage fans to watch the upcoming film, even though it’s not certain yet. The certainty it has as a standalone project is why so many fans want Reeves’ Batman trilogy to break away from the main DCU continuity, and if the DCEU is to thrive under Gunn and Safran’s leadership, put audience trust back The same point may be essential.
Batman: Part 2 is set to hit theaters on October 3, 2025.