‘Batman The Brave and the Bold’ To Reportedly Begin Filming in 2027

James Gunn is off and running with last summer’s Superman along with the upcoming Lanterns, Supergirl, and eventual Superman sequel, but fans are really wondering when we will be getting a new version of Batman that will actually feel like it belongs within the more fantastical and sci-fi inspired DCU.

Matt Reeves is in the process of creating his sequel to 2022’s The Batman starring Robert Pattinson, but given the grounded tone of his franchise it doesn’t seem like that is the version of the caped crusader that will be used within the DCU. Gunn himself has already teased a new Batman for his universe with an adaption of Batman the Brave and the Bold, and we now might have some sort of idea when the film will actually be going into production.

Production is currently underway for the sequel to Matt Reeves’ 2022 *The Batman*.

According to Twitter user @ApocHorseman, the Brave and the Bold is currently in the process of script development and once they have that nailed down will go into production in 2027, possibly 2028 if the script takes longer than anticipated. The Apocalyptic Horseman has been following Gunn’s productions for a few years and has a decently reliable track record, so while there is already a good chance this is true it will be treated as a rumor (that I am inclined to believe) for now.

As of right now, Matt Reeves is hard at work with the Batman 2, slated for a 2027 release. Recent casting news for this film has pointed to another grounded, street level story featuring villains like Two-Face and following a story heavily influenced by the infamous story-arc The Long Halloween. This take on Batman is most likely going to be void of anything that could logically crossover with franchises like Superman and Supergirl just based on the differences in established worlds, which is where The Brave and the Bold comes into play. Not much is known about The Brave and the Bold yet except that it will feature Bruce Wayne and the fourth Robin, Damien Wayne, in a story that will be much more open to the more fantastical villains such as Killer Croc, Ra’s al Ghul, Man-Bat, and Clayface (who has a movie coming out within the established DCU that will most likely be used to set the tone that will carry into the Batman film).

The DCU is currently still establishing itself with trailers just being released for both Supergirl and the Lanterns series, both of which will be monumental in moving forward the foundation of the universe created in Superman, and while more movies aside from those and Clayface have not been officially revealed yet, we can’t help but think some sort of Batman won’t be following too far behind. Supergirl will be set all in space a la Guardians of the Galaxy from Marvel, and while Lanterns will be set on Earth we can already assume it’s going to be anything but grounded and street level if we use Guy Gardner’s (Nathan Fillion) Green Lantern from Superman as a benchmark. Once these franchises have been released, along with Clayface, then the lane will be open for a new Batman.

Guy Gardner (*Superman* 2025) gives us a look at what we can expect from the Green Lantern characters when the *Lanterns* series comes out.

The other factor involved I believe will be reception for The Batman 2. If the film comes out and knocks it out of the park somewhere on the same level as The Dark Knight trilogy (or something absurd like that) then we may see the Brave and the Bold delayed further to allow room for more installments from Reeves’ franchise. However, if the reception is much more modest then I think we can expect filming to begin the same year after the sequels release in 2027. I believe Gunn and the rest of DC studios wants to see what happens with The Batman 2 before they officially put out the money for the new version. What I do not think we will see, and what I believe they want to avoid, is having two different versions of Batman in theaters at the same time because it will only diminish revenue for each version. As of right now, we don’t even have anything solid about a season two for the The Penguin spin-off series, or any other related Batman shows that take place in the same universe, and I do not take that as a good sign for the longevity of the Reeves franchise.

Gunn’s DCU involved space, monsters, and magic among other elements that just don’t bode with the realistic Batman that Reeves has given us. It doesn’t mean that Pattinson’s Batman wasn’t entertaining or a good use of the character, it was just that the timing of the film was before Gunn has established that bigger picture for DC and it simply doesn’t fit the mold. They could slowly transition The Batman franchise into a more fantastical take on the character much like the DC series Arrow transformed over the years on the CW to be more aligned with shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, but subtle tone shifts over time are much easier to achieve in a weekly series with 20+ episodes a year rather then they are in a massive scale film franchise. Hopefully this is not the route they decide to go as it will most likely feel forced.

Despite the “critical acclaim” for HBO Max’s *The Penguin,* the show has not been confirmed for a season 2 and no other Batman series derived from Reeves’ franchise have been created as a result. (The finale left a lot of fans questioning why this show was even created in the first place other than being just straight up cold for the sake of being cold).

As it stands now, everything above is merely speculation based on DC’s decisions with Batman over the past 15 years and a splash of common sense. I think the closer we get to the release of The Batman 2, the more we will begin to hear about the Brave and the Bold because I would gamble they will use the marketing for Reeves’ franchise to plant and water the seed of a new Batman in the heads of fans. If The Batman 2 ends up being a massive success it could change what I believe to be the established strategy, but with the lukewarm reception of the first film it seems unlikely. I also believe that reception to Clayface will be a bench mark used for fan interest in a new Batman. If the film does even reasonably well then I think we can definitely expect filming to take place in 2027 for a 2028-2029 release, but if the movie bombs for some reason and The Batman 2 hits box office revenue goals then Pattinson’s Batman may be up for a round three. There are a lot of moving pieces but I believe the most likely outcome will in fact be filming to take place in 2027 as reported.

For now, we can take this report with a grain of speculation and salt but I think that there is truth behind it that will play out over the next couple years if everything falls into place the way I think DC studios also thinks it will fall into place. Reeves’ Batman will have its sequel and it will most likely be used to piggy back a new Brave and the Bold franchise off of from a marketing standpoint for the new DCU, but things could change if The Batman sequel proves to be a massive success. For now, I am hard pressed to think that we will in fact see filming (or at the very least pre-production) take place in 2027, with a release in 2028-2029 based on the initial start of production. While Gunn doesn’t want to rush Batman because of how pivotal the character is to DC, I also think he understands the importance of getting the character out there early to help establish the foundation of the new universe, and to make sure it’s done right.

Do you think that James Gunn’s version of Batman could start production as early as 2027? Do you want to see Reeves’ Batman continue or be blended into the newly forming DCU? Let us know your thoughts on how you want Batman to play a role in the future of DC Studios down below in the comments!

Source: @ApocHorseman (via Twitter)