‘I’ve Contemplated It’: James Gunn Talks About Robert Pattinson’s Batman Possibly Joining The DCU, But I Liked What He Said About The Hero Existing In The Elseworlds Space

‘I’ve Contemplated It’: James Gunn Talks About Robert Pattinson’s Batman Possibly Joining The DCU, But I Liked What He Said About The Hero Existing In The Elseworlds Space

As a lifelong DC fan with a heart full of nostalgia and a mind buzzing with anticipation, I find myself captivated by the intricate web that James Gunn is weaving for the DC Universe. The decision to keep Robert Pattinson’s Batman in the Elseworlds space feels like the perfect balance of tradition and innovation.

In 2022, when “The Batman” was unveiled, we were still in the era of the DC Extended Universe, where Ben Affleck portrayed Bruce Wayne. This allowed Robert Pattinson’s interpretation to coexist independently. Now, the DC Universe franchise is taking off, and the upcoming film “The Brave and the Bold” will present a fresh take on Batman for this new shared timeline. Interestingly, James Gunn from DC Studios has pondered the possibility of incorporating Pattinson’s Batman into the DCU, but he expressed his viewpoint on why it’s more suitable for this character to remain in the Elseworlds dimension.

In a chat with journalist Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn (a co-manager of DC Studios alongside producer Peter Safran) delved into several subjects, such as the ongoing project, Creature Commandos, which has recently been unveiled to subscribers of Max and marks the beginning of the DCU. When Horowitz asked if Gunn had considered integrating Pattinson’s Batman into the DCU instead of keeping him in his separate universe, the director/executive responded:

I’ve contemplated it. I gotta contemplate everything, Josh. I gotta talk about everything… These questions you can’t answer because people are too… they make everything to mean something. You’d be an idiot not to think, ‘How does this go [gestures right], how does this go [gestures left]?’ But I’m committed to both telling stories in the DCU and and telling Elseworlds stories. I want the freedom to tell Elseworlds stories. We want to be able to tell a story in which Superman’s very different or tell a Red Son story or whatever. We want to be able to play with these characters in different ways.

Although many DC stories headed for both large and small screens will stem from the DC Universe, as James Gunn mentions, he appreciates that DC Studios has room to create content not linked to this new storyline. Projects like “The Batman Epic Crime Saga,” which currently includes the films “The Batman” and “The Penguin” limited series, along with the two “Joker” movies starring Joaquin Phoenix, fall under this category. The DC Universe remains significant, but there’s also the opportunity to present these familiar heroes and villains in unique ways. Gunn further explained that this allows for diverse interpretations of these popular characters.

One aspect that makes DC comics appealing to me is their abundance of diverse storylines. There are numerous Elseworlds tales, multiple interpretations of characters like Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman, which often find these heroes appearing in varied roles across different Elseworlds stories. I believe this variation adds excitement to the DC universe.

Marvel frequently delves into portraying variations of their iconic characters from different realms, as demonstrated by the material used in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga and the Spider-Verse films. Yet, it’s true that DC tends to focus more on such narrative styles, whether we consider stories marked as Elseworlds or those interconnected with the primary DC universe. Regardless, James Gunn is fine with Robert Pattinson’s Batman coexisting independently, implying we’re still in suspense about who will assume the role of Batman within the DC Universe.

Although a release date hasn’t been set for “The Brave and the Bold,” the initial DC Universe film, titled “Superman,” is slated to premiere on July 11, 2025. Meanwhile, you can catch Robert Pattinson reprising his role as Batman in “The Batman: Part II” on October 2, 2026.

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2024-12-06 02:37