Anticipated Batman Movie Has Gone Through Major Changes, So How Concerned Should We Be?

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Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
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It has been nearly three years since the DC Universe's upcoming Batman solo movie, The Brave and the Bold, was personally announced by James Gunn in Jan. 2023, and the project still remains in development. As the case usually tends to be at a time like this, comic book fans are becoming curious about the fate of the highly anticipated superhero movie, especially after its latest update.

Charlie Schneider from the YouTube channel Emergency Awesome posted a video featuring clips of his Zoom interview with Gunn, in which he describes the details regarding the DCU's future that the co-head of DC Studios provided, including those related to The Brave and the Bold. According to Schneider, Gunn says that this new version of The Dark Knight's live-action, cinematic debut has undergone many changes to the story since it first went into development. On top of that, there is still no word on who will play Batman this time.

This is not the first time that Gunn has mentioned that the plot of this upcoming DC movie has gone through revisions. For instance, when asked by IGN about the role Damian Wayne plays in The Brave and the Bold, he simply responded by saying that fans will have to "wait and see the movie" because "things have changed." This has led fans to think up theories about the DCU's Batman, such as if Jason Todd will serve as his Robin instead of Bruce Wayne's son.

As for who will lead The Brave and the Bold as the caped crusader — who has technically made his DCU debut through a brief, silhouetted cameo in the animated series, Creature Commandos — it is anybody's guess for now. However, Gunn has teased the idea of introducing a Batman who is a brutal fighter, not unlike Robert Pattinson's take in Matt Reeves' 2022 blockbuster. However, Gunn has also repeatedly insisted that The Batman's Batman exists in his own universe.

Is The Brave And The Bold In Trouble?

Robin approaching Batman from behind with a sword

To paraphrase Heath Ledger's The Joker in 2008's The Dark Knight, when a film, especially a comic book adaptation, takes longer than a year or two to start production following its announcement, everyone loses their minds! With the developmental standstills faced so far by The Brave and the Bold, which is to be helmed by The Flash director Andy Muschietti, the DC Comics fandom might be heading in that direction if it is not there already.

It is not completely invalid to question how long The Brave and the Bold is destined to stew in development hell before it is completely scrapped. It would not be the first canceled DCU project, such as a planned series taking place at Arkham Asylum and a movie that James Gunn did not specify by name when revealing to Rolling Stone that he "killed" it after a satisfying script could not be put together.

That being said, there was a time when fans were worried that The Batman may never receive its purported sequel, but the script for The Batman Part II was announced as complete in June, followed by confirmed approval from Gunn and a set production start window of spring 2026. So, perhaps it is best not to worry too soon about The Brave and the Bold and accept these story revisions as necessary changes to assure DC Studios can deliver a new version of Gotham City's protector that fans can be proud of.

The Brave and the Bold does not have a set theatrical release date yet.