James Gunn Debunks "Bizarre" Batman Rumor

James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe is ramping up, bringing both the biggest and the most under-the-radar DC characters to life onscreen. Fans have definitely had a lot of curiosity about DC's movie and television output going forward, both in the main DC Universe and in Elseworlds projects like The Batman and its subsequent spinoffs. In a recent post on Threads, Gunn helped debunk a certain long-running rumor about Batman's onscreen presence, which has suggested that the costumed character can't fully appear in live-action television due to the rights being held by ABC and Disney.

The rumor has suggested that, since the 1960s Batman series, the live-action TV rights have only led to fleeting references on previous shows like Gotham and Batwoman — but apparently, that isn't the case. In his reply, Gunn flat-out answered "no." and called the claim a "very strange rumor."

Who Will Play Batman in the DCU?

At the moment, Gunn and Safran have not cast a new actor to portray Bruce Wayne / Batman in their new DCU, with Gunn hinting that the casting decision is still "miles and miles away." He has also confirmed that Batman will not make an appearance in his forthcoming film Superman: Legacy, which begins production later this spring and serves as the first film in his and Safran's new franchise.

"He can't appear in Superman Legacy because he's not in the script," Gunn revealed on Threads earlier this year.

What Is The Brave and the Bold About?

The Brave and the Bold is confirmed to star Bruce and his son, Damian Wayne / Robin, with Gunn and Safran teasing that the film might feature other characters from the larger "Bat-family." 

"This is the introduction of the DCU's Batman..." Gunn explained to reporters in January of this year. "This is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son who we didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a bitch. He's my favorite Robin. It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book's run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now."

"And this is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended 'Bat-family', just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long," Safran added.

What do you think of James Gunn debunking the new Batman rumor? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!