James Gunn Confirms DCU Batman Not Yet Cast, Says Announcement 'Isn't Far Away'

It took some time after he was first announced as the new head of DC Studios back in 2022, but James Gunn's DCU is now up and running with multiple movies and shows establishing a new cinematic universe on the big and small screen. Things look a bit different now than they did when Gunn first announced a new slate of projects; some are further along in development than expected, while others look like they may not see the light of day. The DCU's latest outing is Clayface, the new horror movie starring Tom Rhys Harries as the titular character, written by Mike Flanagan and Hossein Amini and directed by James Watkins. The movie is set in Gotham City, home of Batman in most DC stories.

One of the first projects Gunn announced years ago was Batman: Brave and the Bold, which was to be directed by Andy Muschietti. The movie is still without a release date, but after fans demanded an update since The Dark Knight was nowhere to be seen in Clayface, Gunn was forced to address the status of his Batman in the DCU. During a recent sit-down on the Suicide Squad podcast, Gunn was speaking to his larger casting philosophy, and he confirmed that "it won't be too much longer before we're casting Batman." Gunn even confirmed that he's "not cast yet," despite rumors floating around to the contrary.

Gunn continued, "When we do cast the DCU Batman, which isn't far away… If I gave somebody a day role in Suicide Squad who is going to be the best Batman, I'm not going to rule him out from that." Gunn promises that he's going to "take everyone into account," and that one of the things that excites him the most about Batman is "picking the best actor for that role." He says he's moving away from the formula of always casting Batman by finding the biggest movie star, and treating the part more like Superman, where he'll find the perfect fit for the role.

When Does the Next DCU Movie Come Out?

Now that Clayface is playing in theaters around the world, the next DCU movie on the slate is Man of Tomorrow, scheduled for release in theaters on July 9, 2027. The film is a direct sequel to 2025's Superman, but it also features characters like Milly Alcock's Supergirl and Aaron Pierre's John Stewart from Lanterns. The primary plot of the movie will see Superman (played by David Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult) team up to take down Brainiac, who will be played by Lars Eidinger.