Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Batman

  • Insiders May Have Identified the Frontrunner for the DCU’s Batman

    Insiders May Have Identified the Frontrunner for the DCU’s Batman

    The search for the DCU’s Caped Crusader may have shifted into high gear. While Hollywood has been heavily focused on the repercussions of the performance of Supergirl, a new wave of whispers has begun to leak regarding Andy Muschietti’s upcoming ensemble feature, The Brave and the Bold.

    According to a smorgasbord of rumors from multiple industry insiders, beginning with John Campea, Grantchester and Greyhound star Tom Brittney has reportedly emerged as a major frontrunner to inherit the iconic cowl.

    If Brittney‘s name sounds incredibly familiar to the DC Studios faithful, it’s for an excellent reason. The 35-year-old British actor famously made it to the absolute final round of screen tests for James Gunn’s Superman back in 2023, narrowly losing out on the role of Clark Kent to David Corenswet. Now, he may be joining Coresnwet as one of DC’s Trinity.

    History has a tendency to repeat itself in major superhero casting loops. Much like how Nicholas Hoult tested for Superman only to later be cast as Lex Luthor, Gunn has an established track record of keeping talent on his immediate radar.

    Because The Brave and the Bold is pacing its development timeline safely behind the live-action rollout of Man of Tomorrow, DC Studios has zero intention of rushing an official casting press release. As with any premium superhero casting cycle, a “frontrunner” status does not equal a finalized contract. Shortlists are highly fluid, and names will continue to drift through the trades as things progress behind the scenes.

  • Warner Bros. Debuts ‘Batman: Knightfall’ Trailer; Re-tools Event Into R-Rated Animated Trilogy

    Gotham City is about to witness its darkest hour in a completely uncompromised format. Warner Bros. Animation has officially unmasked the first trailer for Batman: Knightfall – Part 1: Knightfall, transforming the legendary 90s comic arc into a bloody, R-rated three-part animated event.

    When the project originally surfaced in late 2025, production registries tracked the adaptation as a four-part framework. However, DC’s official festival rollout has confirmed a massive creative consolidation. Re-engineered as a definitive animated trilogy, Part 1 focuses squarely on Bane orchestrating a massive Arkham breakout to systematically exhaust Robert Pattinson-era grit before physically breaking the Dark Knight.

    This R-rated event serves as a brilliant piece of counter-programming for DC Studios. With James Watkins’ Clayface horror movie landing this October, Matt Reeves’ The Batman-Part II on the 2027 horizon, and The Brave and the Bold anchoring the mainline DCU, Warner Bros. is proving they view Batman as a multi-continuity engine. Animation allows them to deliver pure, comic-accurate fanservice without the high-stakes financial pressure of a $200 million live-action opening weekend.

    Rather than stretching the iconic “Breaking of the Bat” arc over four loose entries, compressing the narrative into a tightly paced, R-rated trilogy gives it some more weight. The R-rating proves DC Animation is actively taking off the kid gloves to deliver the visceral, bloody stakes the source material demands.

  • James Gunn Offers Discouraging Updates on The DCU’s Batman

    James Gunn Offers Discouraging Updates on The DCU’s Batman

    When James Gunn and Peter Safran pulled back the curtain on the first chapter of DC Studios’ planned slate, The Brave and the Bold…and nearly three years later, that’s proven to be the case as the project has struggled to gain any positive momentum.

    Inspired by Grant Morrison‘s Batman and Son arc from his epic run on Batman that began in 2006, The Brave and the Bold was described by Gunn as “a very strange sort of father-son story” featuring Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian, who Gunn referred to as “a little son of a bitch.”

    [The Brave and the Bold is] a story of Damian Wayne, who’s Batman’s actual son that he didn’t know existed for the first eight to ten years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin.

    -James Gunn

    Originally set to be directed by It and The Flash helmer Andy Muschetti, the film was also intended to introduce “other members of the extended Bat-Family” who Gunn explained had “been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long.” With so many details available by mid-2023, it seemed likely that The Brave and the Bold would follow closely behind Superman and help build a solid foundation for the all-new DCU.

    However, by late 2024, progess on the film had seemingly stalled leading to Gunn explaining that the studio had “no set timeline for anything,” and that production on The Brave and the Bold–and any other DC Studios project–would not get made “until we have a screenplay that I’m totally happy with.” And now, as 2025 winds down into its final quarter, Gunn has provided a bit of a discouraging update on that screenplay.

    “The script isn’t done,” Gunn revealed in an interview with The Ringer-Verse. “I mean, we’ve got somebody writing a script, I think it’s really good,” he quickly clarified. And that wasn’t the only downer Gunn dropped.

    With it recently becoming crystal clear that Matt Reeves‘ Batman Epic Crime Saga is set outside the DCU’s main continuity and that Robert Pattinson will not be the DCU Batman, Gunn was asked if he had found his Batman yet. The short answer is no.

    “Do I have ideas about actors who could play Batman? Absolutely, I do. I have guys I like. I have guys that are top of the list for me, just like I had people that were at the top of the list for Superman,” Gunn said.

    “People can guess and maybe they’ll be right about certain things. We’d have to screen test, we’d have to do the whole thing. Okay, I see what you’re doing. ‘1923’, it’s a really good TV show, like I can’t believe how good that show was,” said Gunn, likely referring to rumors that Brandon Sklenar was in the mix for the DCU’ Dark Knight.

    Notably, Gunn’s comments about screen tests stand out as in the cases of both Superman and Supergirl, trades caught wind of the DC Studios’ short lists for Superman, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and Supergirl. It’s safe to assume a role as big as Batman would catch the attention of the trades again. And while that means fans are no closer to finding out who will play Batman, Gunn does know someone who won’t… though he isn’t quite ready to share who that is.

    “One actor in particular, a pretty big star, wants to be Batman,” teased Gunn before saying, “we’ve talked about it, but I don’t think that’s the case,” he said.

    With so little seemingly working on the right direction and multiple other projects further along in development, it seems as though The Brave and the Bold won’t hit theaters until 2028 or later.

    Source: The Ringer-Verse

  • ‘The Flash’ Had 3 Endings Throughout the Production

    ‘The Flash’ Had 3 Endings Throughout the Production

    The Flash has had a troubled production for so long that it’s hard to think that even up to its release there wasn’t any chaos behind the scenes. Not only was the film handed over from director to director, Ezra Miller started to gather troubling news as time went on just as the film finally was about to start promotion. Plus, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to change things up with its initial leadership kicked out of the company. Then, they decided to restart a brand new universe with James Gunn and Peter Safran heading the new DC Studios.

    As it turns out, every leadership change also ended up changing the final version of The Flash. In a new report by Hollywood Reporter, it seems that the film had around three different sequences that seemingly got chopped up. We won’t spoil the one that is currently being showcased in the final version of the film, especially as it just released but we’ll take a look at the previous two versions.

    Still, only continue at your own risk if you want to remain completely spoiler-free on watching The Flash in theaters.

    The initial ending seemingly had a sequence of only Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and Michael Keaton’s Batman at the courthouse. It actually matches some of the leaked set photos that we saw of both of them at a set that would match a courthouse. Though, it seems when the initial DC heads left, they kept Calle and Keaton in the sequence but added two more cameos. Originally, Henry Cavill’s Superman and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman were going to appear.

    That version has also been cut due to the new leadership of DC Studios, who were worried that keeping those cameos would end up confusing viewers going into the “new” DC Cinematic Universe. As such, the current version in theaters was filmed around six months ago and added to the project. This move is also when they decided not to move forward with Cavill’s Superman movie and why Wonder Woman 3 was no longer moving forward.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • CONFIRMED: ‘The Flash’ Director to Tackle DCU’s New Batman

    CONFIRMED: ‘The Flash’ Director to Tackle DCU’s New Batman

    The Flash has had a rough development cycle throughout the last few years, but it still managed to put Andy Muschietti on Warner Bros. Discovery’s radar as someone that can tackle a good slew of projects. As first reported by One Take News, he has seemingly also nabbed the job to direct the new DC Cinematic Universe’s Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold inspired by the iconic comic storyline of the same name.

    DC Studios presidents James Gunn and Peter Safran shared the following statement on adding him to their new slew of directors.

    We saw The Flash even before taking the reins at DC Studios, and knew we were in the hands of not only a visionary director but a massive DC fan. It’s a magnificent film – funny, emotional, thrilling – and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world just resonates through every frame. So, when it came time to find a director for The Brave and the Bold, there was really only one choice. Luckily, Andy said yes. Barbara signed on to produce with us and we were on our way. They’re an extraordinary team, and we couldn’t have better or more inspiring partners as we embark on this thrilling new adventure in the DCU .

    James Gunn and Peter Safran

    There currently is no writer attached, but that isn’t too surprising given that the WGA strike is still going on. Interestingly enough, Christina Hodson was at one point attached but decided to tackle the eleventh Fast and Furious film. For now, they may have attached a director but it seems unlikely that they’ll get the project moving until the writer’s strike wraps up.

    Source: One Take News, The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Avengers’ Directors Open to Tackling DC Studios’ Batman

    ‘Avengers’ Directors Open to Tackling DC Studios’ Batman

    Joe and Anthony Russo have been quite busy since they departed Marvel Studios and their work on the Avengers franchise. They left quite a mark in the blockbuster landscape and while some haven’t been too thrilled with their latest work like The Gray Man, they have been busy promoting a very ambitious TV series titled Citadel for Amazon.

    While promoting the series, they were asked by ComicBook.com if they were interested in tackling any DC Studios project given that another Marvel alum has taken over the CEO position at the company. While they don’t say anything definite, it does seem like they have one character they’d definitely want to tackle: Batman.

    Obviously James over there running it, it would be a no-brainer. We love him to death. We love the direction he’s going to take that world in. You know he’s gonna be inventive with it. And favorite DC characters? I mean, man. There are so many good ones. I  always answer based on the comics I collected as a kid, and the two comics I collected the most were Spider-Man — actually, the three —  were Spider-Man. X-Men and Batman. But there have been a lot of iterations of Batman, so I feel like that’s an obvious answer.

    Joe Russo

    It definitely would be interesting to see what the Russo Bros. might be capable of putting together with a Batman film that takes its inspirations from The Brave and the Bold storyline that famously had the caped crusader duking it out with his own protegé, Damian Wayne. While in the comics it was Dick Grayson as Batman, it still will act as a point of inspiration with their iconic dynamic just being passed on to Damian’s actual father.

    Source: ComicBook.com

  • Ben Affleck Addresses Rumors He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Ben Affleck Addresses Rumors He’ll Direct DC Studios ‘The Brave and The Bold’

    Shortly after James Gunn announced part of the lineup of the DCU’s Chapter 1-Gods and Monsters, rumors began to swirl that while Ben Affleck‘s days of portraying Batman on screen were done, there was mutual interest in having Affleck direct a project. Before long, a rumor surfaced that had Affleck on a shortlist to direct DC Studios The Brave and The Bold, which would introduce a new Batman and his son, Damian, the new DCU. The rumor was believable enough: Affleck likes Batman and Gunn, who is always actively dispelling rumors on social media, didn’t address it. Now, Affleck has made his thoughts known on the rumor.

    “I would not direct something for the Gunn DC. Absolutely not,” said Affleck when asked by THR about the possibility of helming a DC Studios project. “I have nothing against James Gunn,” Aflleck clarified, “Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.“

    Affleck didn’t clarify what “the way they’re doing that meant” leaving plenty of room for interpretation for rabid fans who’ll want to read into his comments; however, the only real news here is that Affleck’s superhero days, which date back to 2003’s Daredevil, seem to be behind him and that Gunn’s search for a director for The Brave and the Bold will continue.

    Source: THR

  • Amazon Gives Two Season Order to ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’

    Amazon Gives Two Season Order to ‘Batman: Caped Crusader’

    After HBO Max passed on Batman: Caped Crusader back in August, the animated series has successfully found a new streaming home. The Hollywood Reporter announced on Thursday that Batman: Caped Crusader has received a two-season order from Amazon. According to THR, other streamers, including Hulu and Netflix, were interested at some point, but the series ultimately found a home with Amazon’s Prime Video.

    Batman: Caped Crusader hails from J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm. Legendary comic book writer Ed Brubaker is on the show’s creative team and is said to have helped run the writers room. The project was initially announced in May 2021, however, after Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav took over the company last year, he sought to make necessary cuts to save money. Axing Batman: Caped Crusader and shopping the project elsewhere was one of those cuts.

    The first season consists of 10 episodes. As of now, Batman: Caped Crusader does not have a release date.

    Source: THR.

  • Rocksteady’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Set 5 Years After ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’

    Rocksteady’s ‘Suicide Squad’ Set 5 Years After ‘Batman: Arkham Knight’

    Rocksteady has been quite busy with the development of their next Arkhamverse game. Instead of returning to the Batman formula they perfected, they decided to take a different route. This time around, they are focusing on the smaller villains of the DC universe with Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. During the latest State of Play from PlayStation, we also got some more details on when exactly this new entry takes place.

    According to the developer Rocksteady, it seems this game will be a direct sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight. To be exact, it’ll take place around five years after that film ended with Batman seemingly retiring his cape. We know that he’ll return in this game and will once again be voiced by Kevin Conroy, which adds to the connection between these games.

    It does raise an eyebrow on how exactly they’ll try to explain Batman’s return given how Arkham Knight ended, but they may play a little loose with the canon. Gotham Knights were not part of the Arkhamverse and acted as its own spinoff using elements from the iconic Arkhamverse. Plus, it’s from a different developer who did create the Arkham Origins prequel game that was part of the universe.

    We don’t know more about what exactly the story will be outside of Task Force X, the iconic Suicide Squad’s official designation that will take on brainwashed Justice League members. It does seem a bit sour to potentially have to kill Batman after Kevin Conroy‘s tragic passing in this game, but maybe they have a secret up their sleeve.

    Source: YouTube

  • DC’s ‘The Flash’ First Screening to Take Place at CinemaCon

    DC’s ‘The Flash’ First Screening to Take Place at CinemaCon

    We’ve known for a while that DC Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery have put a lot of hope into the new multiverse-based film The Flash. It’ll see the return of Michael Keaton in the role of Batman and offer a unique take on the original Flashpoint comic storyline. It seems that Warner Bros. believes they have a gem at their hands as they will give the first debut screening at the upcoming CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

    What makes this worth its own announcement is the fact that it’ll premiere on April 25th, quite some time ahead of its actual premiere in theaters. That commonly is a sign that they believe in the film similar to what we saw last year with Top Gun: Maverick; though it might not have the same box office performance as that film. Still, Warner Bros. is putting a lot of hope into this film even with the controversies surrounding its main star, Ezra Miller.

    So far, they managed to keep the actor out of any new headlines that could hinder the film’s release and they also have two additional stars they are putting a lot of focus on. The early advertising has a strong focus on Keaton’s return as Batman and it’s almost a bit too much given that it’s supposed to be a film about the Flash. There’s also the premiere appearance of Sasha Calle as Supergirl, but her own future is in doubt given James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new vision. Here’s hoping positive buzz can overshadow any real confusion moving forward.

    Source: Deadline