James Gunn himself confirms that he is struggling with the DCU Batman

We got a clearer picture of the DCU Batman in the Rolling Stone interview with James Gunn that was published on June 16, 2025. In that interview, Gunn went in-depth into DCU projects. But one of the highlights of the Rolling Stone interview was when the Superman director spoke about the Caped Crusader adaptations, both the DCU and Matt Reeves' versions.

When asked about The Dark Knight in the DCU, Gunn revealed that the script for The Brave and the Bold, in which the World's Greatest Detective is set to share screen with his sidekick Robin (Damian Wayne version), is not completed. Furthermore, in the same interview, Gunn revealed that he is having a hard time with cracking the script for the movie.

Explaining James Gunn's DCU Batman comments

James Gunn revealed that he was struggling with the The Brave and the Bold script when the interviewer addressed Gunn's comments that Robert Pattinson's version of the Caped Crusader being separate from the overall DCU was Matt Reeves' choice. The interviewer then asked Gunn if it was his choice, would he have incorporated Reeves' universe into the DCU?

Gunn answered that he would consider doing so, saying:

"It would be a consideration. We’d have to think about it. We’d have to think about it. It is not like we’ve never discussed it."

The interviewer pointed out that James Gunn's answer sounded present tense and asked the director if he was implying the possibility of retconning Reeves' universe into the DCU. The Superman director responded:

"No, I don’t — Batman’s my biggest issue in all of DC right now, personally. And it’s not — I’m not writing Batman, but I am working with the writer of Batman and trying to get it right, because he’s incredibly important to DC, as is Wonder Woman. So outside of the stuff that I’m doing in the projects that are actively going, our two priorities are finishing our Wonder Woman and our Batman scripts."

Thus, it seems that as of now, Matt Reeves' version of the World's Greatest Detective is separate from DCU, meaning it takes place on a different Earth, implying the possibility of the DC multiverse.

James Gunn explains what he needs to figure out to make The Dark Knight work in the DCU

After confirming that the movie, for now, is still titled The Brave and the Bold, the interviewer asked the DC Studios Co-CEO what he needs to figure out to make The Dark Knight work in the DCU. Gunn's answer was simple: "purpose". His exact words were:

"Batman has to have a reason for existing, right? So Batman can’t just be “Oh, we’re making a Batman movie because Batman’s the biggest character in all of Warner Bros.,” which he is. But because there’s a need for him in the DCU and a need that he’s not exactly the same as Matt’s Batman. But yet he’s not a campy Batman. I’m not interested in that. I’m not interested in a funny, campy Batman, really. So we’re dealing with that. I think I have a way in, by the way. I think I really know what it’s — I just am dealing with the writer to make sure that we can make it a reality.

Thus, it seems like Gunn is currently finding it difficult to figure out Bruce Wayne's masked alter-ego's purpose in the overall DC Universe.