We’re three years into James Gunn’s DC Studios era, and we’re still waiting for our new DCU Dark Knight to make his debut. And no, we’re not counting that Batman silhouette in Creature Commandos. But Gunn suggests we are closer than we’ve ever been to learning who our new DCU Batman will be. On his The Suicide Squad, Is It Canon? podcast, Gunn has confirmed that contrary to some rumors, his version of Batman will be “roughly the same age” as David Corenswet’s Superman. So no Dark Knight Returns, “Old Man Bruce” Batman. At least, not yet.
We know that in Superman, David Corenswet’s version of Kal-El arrived on Earth “Three decades ago.” Which means he’s still under 33 in Man of Tomorrow. So our Batman is then also probably under 35 as well. However, this throws a bit of a monkey wrench into the announced plans for Batman: Brave and the Bold, which would include a Bruce Wayne who has a son, Damian Wayne, who is old enough to be Robin. Even if we’re talking about a very young Boy Wonder, that still means Bruce Wayne has been Batman for at least a decade. And that just doesn’t mesh with the DCU Batman and Superman being the same age.
Recently, a fan asked Gunn if plans for the DCU Batman had changed since the initial announcement, and he simply responded with “Yup.” So, we have a feeling we’re getting a younger Bruce Wayne, who doesn’t have a child yet. Or if he does, he’s still a small child and not of superhero age yet. That doesn’t mean Damian Wayne can’t show up in the future, but we have a strong feeling they will hold off for now. Maybe Robin is still Dick Grayson at this point still. We love Damian Wayne as Robin, but we think it’s more important to have our World’s Finest duo as contemporaries.
Nerdist’s Take: Older Batman or Younger, We’re Glad James Gunn Isn’t Insisting Bruce Wayne Be Played by a Big Star
Maybe the most interesting Batman tidbit Gunn revealed was that he’s not looking to cast a star as Bruce Wayne. He said, “I’m gonna take everyone into account. One of the things that excites me is… being able to pick a Batman who’s actually the best actor for that role. Superman has always been based on who the best actor for that role is. And for some reason, Batmans are always chosen as movie stars.” This is actually music to our ears, as Batman doesn’t need a big star to sell the character. Just get a good actor who fits the part. And if they’re an unknown, so be it. He definitely doesn’t need to be a star. But Mr. Gunn, you’ve got to hurry up and cast your Batman, unknown or not. We lit the Bat-signal long ago.