Robert Pattinson says his Batman would struggle to fit in James Gunn's DCU
Robert Pattinson says his Bruce Wayne would struggle to fit inside James Gunn's DC Universe.
The actor said it would be "kind of tough" to place his version of the character from Matt Reeves' The Batman films into Gunn's wider continuity, in an interview with LADbible reported by Deadline on 25 September 2026. His words address a question that has followed both filmmakers for years about whether there could be one Batman for everything.
"I think it would be kind of tough to have this version of Bruce outside of [Reeves'] world," Pattinson said, according to Deadline. The line is short. It leaves little room for doubt about where he sees the character belonging.
Reeves' films and Gunn's DCU are separate enterprises. The DCU is the shared story world, the connected run of films and series where characters cross over and events in one story affect another, that Gunn launched with Superman, Deadline reported. Pattinson's Batman lives outside it, in a Gotham built around Reeves' crime story.
Warner Bros. has The Batman: Part II dated for 18 February 2028, according to Deadline. That date keeps Pattinson's return on its own calendar. Gunn, meanwhile, has wrapped filming on Man of Tomorrow, the Superman sequel, Deadline also reported.
The idea of merging the two has been raised before. Gunn said in January 2025 that he had contemplated bringing Pattinson's Batman into the DCU, while Reeves said any such move would have to make sense, according to Variety. Those earlier remarks were tentative. Neither described a deal or a plan.
The wider context goes back further. In February 2023, Gunn and DC Studios co-chief Peter Safran unveiled ten film and television projects that promised two Batmen and a partial reboot of previous continuity, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter. That structure allowed Reeves to continue his own series while a second Batman could later appear inside the DCU.
For fans, this means the separation is clearer. Pattinson sounds settled in Reeves' world. Gunn's universe continues to grow around him. That keeps two tracks alive: one for a standalone Gotham story, one for interlinked heroes who meet across films.
