James Gunn Says the DCU Batman Is Not Yet Cast
The DCU's Batman has not been cast, and the search is close to starting, according to Variety. James Gunn made the remarks on Thursday, 29 October, in an advance video for The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?, an official podcast due out on Friday, 30 October.
The DCU is the shared film universe run by DC Studios, the Warner Bros.-owned label. Gunn is its co-CEO, alongside Peter Safran. He has been steering it since the 2025 release of Superman, which he directed and which stars David Corenswet in the title role.
Gunn said casting for the Dark Knight is "not very far away," and that it will not be long before the process begins. He did not name a date or a candidate. Speculation has been circulating for weeks. Earlier this month, IGN reported that Gunn had shut down rumours that Jensen Ackles had already been picked for the role.
Gunn's main point was about how the two heroes are chosen. He said he wants the best actor for the part, not necessarily a movie star. He argued that Superman actors have always been picked for their acting, while Batman actors have usually been picked as box-office names.
He also described the two characters as close in age. In his telling, the DCU's Batman and Superman are contemporaries and future best friends, not drastically different in years. That is a deliberate contrast with some earlier screen versions, where the two were cast as much older and younger.
Gunn said he would not rule out an actor who played a smaller role in The Suicide Squad, his 2021 film. If that performer turned out to be the best Batman, he said, the role could still go to them.
The new Batman will not be the same character as the one Robert Pattinson plays in Matt Reeves' separate series. DC Studios' planned film The Brave and the Bold is its own project, so the two Batmen will not share a story.
For now, the studio has not announced a cast, a start date for filming, or a release date for a Batman film. Gunn's comments are a statement of intent about how the role will be filled, not an announcement of a deal.
