Gladiator, Skyfall Writer Reportedly Was Just “in Talks” for New Batman Film, Still Not Attached to James Gunn’s DCU
A new Batman story will be told in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. After they were appointed as co-CEOs of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran decided to shake up DC’s live-action films by completely rebooting and revamping the franchise from its dominant DCEU or Snyderverse saga. The upcoming caped crusader movie The Brave and the Bold was confirmed to be a part of the new DC Universe’s Chapter 1 titled Gods and Monsters.
Although there is little to no information known at the point of writing this article, a major industry scooper, r/DCULeaks came up with the rumor that three-time Oscar nominee John Logan was just “in talks” with James Gunn’s DCU for The Brave and the Bold.
Was John Logan “in talks” with James Gunn about the new Batman film?
Warner Bros. had big plans for the dark knight after Michael Keaton’s appearance in The Flash. They were thinking of making him a permanent part of DCEU, with him set to appear in Batgirl and Batman Beyond. He was also supposed to cross paths with Ben Affleck’s Batman in Crisis on Infinite Earths. However, with the formation of DCU, all these ideas were scrapped. The DC superhero lores are now being built from scratch, starting with Superman in Superman: Legacy.
Also Read: 4 Marvel Stars Who Almost Played Batman in DC Cinematic Universe
Batman is also in talks of getting a makeover in The Brave and the Bold, which would be a fresh take on Bruce Wayne training his son, Damian, as Robin. So far, Batman: The Brave and the Bold is said to be Gunn and Safran’s favorite project in the DCU. Fans are already excited for breadcrumbs of information regarding the movie, and recently r/DCULeaks posted on X that three-time Oscar nominee John Logan, who has films like Gladiator, The Aviator, Hugo, and Skyfall under his belt, is all set to join the movie as a writer.
When fans asked James Gunn whether it was true, he replied in the negative. Then the scooper account tried to say that they never reported that John Logan was attached to the project; they had reasons to believe that he was just “in talks” with DC.
Another fan account DCU Updates posted a screenshot on X about a fan asking James Gunn if he was “in talks” with John Logan and he again replied, “No.”
Also Read: Mark Hamill Has an Impossible Condition if DC Wants Him to Return as Joker
John Logan was never in talks either for The Brave & The Bold pic.twitter.com/wsvRQCbB8b
— DCU Updates (@DCU_Updates) January 6, 2024
One thing the fans are really pumped to know is which actor is going to take on the mantle of such an iconic hero. The role of the dark detective has been played by some legendary actors in the past, like Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Adam West, Robert Pattinson, and Ben Affleck, among many other iconic names. Only time will tell who breathes life into DCU’s most revered superhero in the future.
What is known of The Brave and the Bold so far?
While talking about the project (via. Geektyrant), James Gunn already gave a few major clues about the plot. He intends to base it on Grant Morrison’s run on Batman. It is supposed to focus on the father-son dynamics between Batman and Robin.
“So this is the introduction of the DCU Batman, Bruce Wayne, and also introducing our favorite Robin, Damian Wayne, who is a little son of a bitch, assassin murderer, who he unwittingly takes on, who’s Batman’s actual son that he doesn’t know exists for the first eight to 10 years of his life, and he brings into his life and this is a story. It’s a very strange sort of father son story about the two of them. And it’s based on Grant Morrison’s run on the Batman. There’s a couple of comic book writers that have been exceptionally influential on our stuff and Grant Morrison and Tom King are probably the two primary ones.”
The film will be based on Grant Morrison’s 2006–2013 run of Batman comics. Grant Morrison started with 2006’s Batman #655, and ran through storylines including Final Crisis, Batman and Robin, and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. The series introduced the son of Batman, Damian Wayne, to DC Comics, who ultimately gets killed off in 2013’s Batman Incorporated #8. It might be that the movie would take a tragic turn; however, it seems unlikely that DC would try to fit in so much material in one go.
The Brave and the Bold is expected to hit theaters in 2026/2027.
