It is going to be Batman against Batman in a couple of years. Not literally obviously, but with Matt Reeves’ Batman universe shaping up and James Gunn’s DC Universe slowly coming to life, there is going to be at least a little competition between the two versions of Batman.
Reeves’ Batman universe expanded this year to include HBO’s The Penguin TV series which has won over critics and audiences alike. With the series’ finale on the horizon, Reeves has recently dished out his plan for the franchise and it might be a huge threat to Gunn’s iteration of the Caped Crusader and his world.
Matt Reeves Opened Up About His Plans for the Batman Franchise
Matt Reeves laid the foundations of this franchise back in 2022 with the release of The Batman in which Robert Pattinson played the titular role. Oz/The Penguin is one of the criminals from Gotham’s underworld who appears in the movie. He is the first character to have gotten a spin-off from this universe.
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The remarkable performance of the series centering on Oz is naturally going to pave way for the further expansion of the franchise, and it may be more than just a sequel of the 2022 movie. Reeves has recently weighed in on this during his discussion with Andy Serkis, who played Alfred Pennyworth in this franchise, for Interview magazine.
When asked if there will be a second season of The Penguin or there will be a new character at the center of a story, the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes director said:
We have been talking about doing other shows. […] I think the idea of being able to put a lens on these characters is a really exciting idea. […] And you can have the experience of this almost novelistic epic crime saga, but you also just get these separate experiences. They have their own dramatic value. So Oz’s story is Oz’s story, and the idea is to do these other stories in the same way.
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The gist of what Reeves has to say is that he wants to tell character-driven stories for the other The Batman spinoffs that he is planning on making. Considering how good this series is, there is no doubt the upcoming ones will also be just as good if not better. This means that the DC Studios’ Batman projects have to be just as good to attract the audience or else there is a huge chance that it might not work at all.
James Gunn Teased a Batman and Superman Crossover Movie, But There Are No Signs of the Former’s Casting in the DCU Yet
James Gunn and Peter Safran’s decision to reboot the entire DC franchise was for the best considering that the DCEU was steadily heading towards doom. However, they might want to gear up their process of introducing Bruce Wayne in the DC Universe since Reeves is already in the race.
In June 2024, Gunn debunked the rumors that they had already chosen the actor who would be playing Bruce in the franchise. When asked about it by a fan on Threads, the Guardians of the Galaxy director clearly stated that they had not even begun casting for the character.
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A couple of months ago, Gunn posted a picture of Superman, Batman, and Robin on Instagram wishing followers a “World’s Finest Labor Day.” This led to a fan asking him, how he would name a crossover movie between Bruce and Clark- Batman and Superman or Superman and Batman.
The Slither director did not rank the characters. Instead he insisted that he would name it, “World’s Finest“. The first crossover between the above-mentioned superheroes happened in 1941’s comic book of the same name as suggested by Gunn. So, this might be a hint at the unannounced crossover movie. Whatever the case might be the co-CEOs need to buckle up unless they wish to be left behind in comparison to Reeves’ Gotham universe.
Frequently asked questions
What is Matt Reeves’ plan for his Batman franchise after The Penguin?
In an Interview magazine conversation with Andy Serkis (who played Alfred Pennyworth in 2022’s The Batman), Reeves said the team has “been talking about doing other shows” set in the same Gotham crime saga. Rather than committing only to a Penguin follow-up, the idea is to tell more separate, character-driven stories in the same universe.
How is Reeves’ Batman universe different from James Gunn’s DC Universe Batman?
They are two separate continuities. Reeves’ version began with 2022’s The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and expanded with HBO’s 2024 series The Penguin, with Colin Farrell as Oz Cobblepot. James Gunn and Peter Safran are building a separate, rebooted DC Universe with their own Bruce Wayne. The article frames the two takes as rival visions rather than a shared crossover.
Has James Gunn cast a DC Universe Batman, and is a crossover planned?
Per the article, in June 2024 Gunn responded to a fan on Threads and said DC Studios had not yet begun casting Bruce Wayne, debunking rumors that an actor was already chosen. Gunn has also floated naming a possible Batman-Superman crossover “World’s Finest” (a nod to the comic title that debuted in 1941), though such a film remains unannounced rather than confirmed.
