DCU’s Batman Casting Gets Major New Update From James Gunn

Published Oct 29, 2026, 2:42 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Batman's casting in the new DC Universe has received an exciting update. Batman has yet to make his live-action debut in the DCU Chapter One. So far, the Dark Knight has only appeared in a non-speaking cameo role in the animated Creature Commandos series on HBO Max. While the rumor mill keeps churning out new candidates for the coveted role of DC's new Dark Knight, Batman has yet to be cast for the DCU. Additionally, Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne will remain separate from the franchise, with the DCU casting a new actor for Batman's The Brave and the Bold movie. Now, a new update suggests that it might not take too long for fans to know DC's new Batman. On The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? The Official Podcast, James Gunn teased that the DCU's Batman will be cast soon. While DC Studios' creative chief confirmed that Batman has not yet been cast, as some rumors have suggested, Gunn revealed that "it won't be too long before we cast Batman." Gunn also reconfirmed that the idea is for DC's new Batman to be around Superman's age in the shared universe, as they are destined to be best friends in the future. The Superman director also claimed he wants to choose the best actor for Batman, not necessarily a movie star. Check out the full quote below: James Gunn: "I mean, it won't be too long before we cast Batman — who isn't cast yet, by the way, for all the people thinking he's going to show up in this or that. It's all bulls—t. But when we do cast the DCU Batman, which isn't very far away — if I gave somebody a day role in Suicide Squad, that is going to be the best Batman. I'm not going to rule him out from that. I want to get everybody into account. You know, one of the things that excites me about casting Batman is being able to pick a Batman who's actually the best actor for that role. Supermans have always been chosen based on who the best actor for that role is. And for some reason, Batmans are always chosen as movie stars. [I definitely have to rule in age]. They're going to be doing this 10 years from now. People are always looking for little hints about casting of Batman. Roughly, Batman and Superman are around the same age. I don't think that they're drastically different ages. They're future best pals." Just like multiple names made the rounds online for the DCU Superman role before the Man of Steel was eventually cast, the same has been happening for Batman. That said, David Corenswet was one of the most talked about actors in relation to the franchise's Superman casting, and Gunn ended up choosing him as the new Superman. As such, there is a chance that one of the rumored names for Batman could end up getting the part. That list includes actors like 1923's Brandon Sklenar, Love Story's Paul Anthony Kelly, The Westies' Tom Brittney, and more. Those actors fit Corenswet's age range. After all, the DCU Superman actor is 33, and based on Gunn's comments, DC's new Batman actor will have to be around that age. This likely excludes popular fancasts like The Boys' Jensen Ackles, who has voiced Batman in animated DC movies, but is 48. Gunn's comments are also interesting in the way that he compares the list of live-action Batman actors to Superman actors. Gunn notes how Superman has always been chosen with the best actor in mind, while Batman's casting tends to come down to a movie star getting the role. It seems like up-and-coming actors have a decent shot at the DCU Batman. Gunn's new Batman update comes in an exciting new release for DC fans, as The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? The Official Podcast clears up some of the doubts fans had about the franchise's canon and the status of that DC movie, specifically. For instance, Gunn also reveals in the podcast that whether Margot Robbie will return as Harley Quinn in the DCU is completely up to her, and if she wants to do it, Gunn will "bend over backwards" to explain how that would work within the DCU. It remains to be seen just how soon Batman will be cast.