After taking over as heads of DC Studio,James GunnandPeter Safranbeganworking on a 10-year planthat supposedly united theatrical releases, TV shows, animation, and even video games into a single cohesive story. It’s not going to be easy to make different DC Extended Universe properties fit together, which has been leading to a wave os speculation in the media. More recently,Varietyreported,Robert Pattinson’s Batman might become the definitive Dark Knight in the following years, which Gunn dismissed as incorrect onTwitter.Released earlier this year, directorMatt Reeves’The Batmanbecame one of the biggest DC successes, both in terms of critical reception and box office numbers. Unsurprisingly, Warner Bros. signed a deal with Reeves towork on a sequeland different spinoff series. While no one knows if the seriesfocused on Arkham Asylum and the Gotham City Police Departmentis alive,Colin Farrellwill come back as the Penguin in a seriesset to bridgeThe Batmanand its untitled sequel. In short, as previously reported,Reeves’ corner of the DC universe seems to be safeamidst multiple waves of cancelations and internal restructuring derived from the Warner Bros. Discovery merging.Nevertheless, it would be surprising if Reeves' vision for Gotham City would become the official one for the future of the DCEU. So far, Pattison’s Batman exists in a self-contained universe without superheroes. In fact, it’s easy to argue thatThe Batmanwas so successful because it could create a gritty and grounded version of the Dark Knight mythos independently of other DC properties. It’s also hard to imagine Pattison’s Batman sharing the screen withJason Momoa’s Aquaman orDwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, which could mean Gunn and Safran might clean the DCEU slate for their 10-year plan, instead of trying to make everything work together.RELATED:‘Man of Steel 2’: DC Reportedly Rejected Script Treatment From ‘Peaky Blinders’ CreatorFrom a financial perspective, it would make sense to build a new universe around Reeves’The Batman. Since the movie passed the box office test, Gunn and Safran could easily convince Warner Bros. Discovery CEODavid Zaslavwith shiny numbers. Also, the company wants to lower the budget for superhero movies and has reportedly been shutting downAquaman and the Lost Kingdomreshoots. So, a gritty superhero universe could be less dependent on an extensive post-production process, cost less for Warner Bros. Discovery, and still offer fans a cohesive and beloved vision of the DC universe. The move would also corroborate early comments by Zaslav, who saidthe DCEU couldn’t have multiple Batmansin the next few years. So it’s easy to understand why the initial report gained so much traction. However, as Gunn said on Twitter, “this is entirely untrue.” Director Reeves also corroborate Gunn’s version of the story.
What ‘The Batman’ Becoming Canonical Would Mean for the DCEU?
If Pattinson’s Batman became the leading DCEU Dark Knight, that would mean some things would have to be left out of the 10-year plan. For starters, canonizing Pattison’s Batman would mean burningBen Affleck’s Dark Knight, another nail in the coffin of the Snyderverse. Considering howMomoa might not play Aquaman in the new DCEU,Wonder Woman 3was scrapped, andMan of Steel 2is nowhere near being developed, it sounds like most of the DCEU productions already released, and which connect to the Snyderverse will be erased from canon by Gunn and Safran. That’s probably a good decision sinceZack Snyder’s plans for the DCEU were stretched by Warner Bros. in so many different directions that we need a cleaner landscape for DC Studios to thrive. Still, Pattison’s Batman doesn’t seem to fit with other successeful properties, such as Gunn’sThe Suicide SquadandDavid F. Sandberg’sShazam!
Besides that,Todd Phillips’Jokercannot exist in the same timeline sinceThe Batmanalso has its own version of the Clown Prince of Crime. SinceJoker: Folie À Deuxis already in development, Gunn and Safran will probably keep Phillips on board. While they could maintain Phillips' movies on a different timeline, the goal is to unite everything into a single banner. That means we ultimately must prepare for some painful cuts soon, and maybe expect a new Batman to emerge in the DCEU, instead of an old one being recycled by Gunn and Safran.
As Gunn and Safran reveal more details about their plans for the DCEU, you may expect to read all about it here at Collider. Check out our interview with Gunn aboutPeacemakerandGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. You can also check Gunn’s original tweet below.
