James Gunn: New Batman Casting 'Isn't Far Away,' No Star Required

James Gunn says Batman has not been cast — and that no casting has happened at all. "All the people thinking he'll show up in this or that, it's all bullshit," the DC Studios chief said in an advance video from "The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon? The Official Podcast," which releases Friday.

Gunn did give a timetable of sorts. "It won't be too long before we're casting Batman," he said. "When we do cast the DCU Batman, which isn't very far away..." The sentence trails into his most concrete statement of intent: he wants "a Batman who's actually the best actor for that role."

That is a pointed contrast with history, as Gunn himself framed it. "Superman's have always been chosen based on who the best actor for that role is. And for some reason, Batman's are always chosen as movie stars."

What does this change for the next Dark Knight?

Two things, both from Gunn's own words. First, the field is open wide. Gunn said he would not rule out even an actor who played a minor part in "The Suicide Squad." He said: "If I gave somebody a day role in 'The 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."

Second, age is a firm criterion. Asked by "The Suicide Squad" actor Steve Agee whether casting needs to account for an actor still playing the role "10 years from now," Gunn answered "definitely."

He added: "Roughly, Batman and Superman are around the same age. I don't think they're drastically different ages. They're future best pals, contemporaries."

That arithmetic points somewhere specific. David Corenswet, who starred in last year's "Superman," is 33. A Batman in his mid-30s is therefore the working assumption — though Gunn, notably, never named a candidate and confirmed no deal exists.

Where this Batman fits

The new Caped Crusader belongs to Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC universe, separate from Robert Pattinson's Batman in Matt Reeves' "The Batman" series. When Gunn and Safran took charge of DC Studios in 2022, they announced the first chapter's slate: "Superman," "Supergirl," "Lanterns," "Clayface" and a Batman film titled "The Brave and the Bold." Pattinson's hero continues on his own track.

The broader DCU now has its anchor. Corenswet headlines the next chapter with "Man of Tomorrow," due July 9 next summer.

What is not said matters as much as what is. No actor, no shortlist, no shoot date for "The Brave and the Bold." The only hard commitments are an open search and a mid-30s age bracket. Everything else — including the rumors Gunn just shut down — remains speculation until DC Studios names a name.