James Gunn shuts down major Batman rumor as The Brave and The Bold faces uncertainty

The DCU Batman project, The Brave and The Bold, has been long in development, and this week, a rumor began circulating that the project is on hold. It was started by writer and independent filmmaker Dan Marcus on Sunday, who revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that Andy Muschietti told him that the Batman film was on hold until the Paramount-WB merger. However, Marcus himself revealed that he was unsure:

"I have no idea if this is true or false (I’m assuming it’s definitely false), but I did hear from Muschietti that all work on THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD is on hold until after the merger is settled."

Marcus then also added that Muschietti was unsure he would even helm the DC Universe Batman project after the merger. Then, the independent director added that the IT filmmaker isn't worried about losing the Batman project, as he could helm another movie. A fan asked James Gunn if there was truth in Dan Marcus's words. The DC Studios co-CEO responded, saying that it isn't true.

The Brave and The Bold - What did James Gunn say?

James Gunn's Reply | Image Via: Threads/@jamesgunn

A fan directly asked Gunn if future DCU projects are on hold; the Superman and Man of Tomorrow filmmaker responded, saying, "No. Nothing is on hold." It should be noted that the fan did not specifically highlight The Brave and The Bold's name in the question. Therefore, they might have also included other long-gestating DCU projects like Waller, Booster Gold, and Paradise Lost.

But since the question is vague, Gunn might be suggesting that these long-awaited projects are still in different stages of development in DC Studios. In fact, this week's Lanterns episode included something for Batman fans.

Lanterns Episode 2 name dropped Gotham:

This week's Lanterns episode revealed that Sheriff Kerry was born and raised in Gotham. Kerry's surname is "Kane", the wealthy Gotham family Bruce's mother Martha hails from. Therefore, many believe that Kerry is related to both Bruce Wayne and Kate Kane, the Batwoman.

But Lanterns has not established Kerry's connection with the Kane family yet. Apart from Lanterns, we don't have to wait until the DCU Batman movie to catch a glimpse of this continuity's Gotham.

Fans hope that we will get a glimpse of Batman in Clayface:

Clayface could plant the seeds for this universe's Batman by giving a glimpse of what he looks like. Even if the role remains uncast, the movie could just show us a silhouette, much like Creature Commandos Season 1 Episode 6 introduced us to the DCU Batman.

The DCU Batman's silhouette | Image Via: YouTube/DC

This is why many believe that Clayface might include references to this continuity's Batman. It should be noted that Clayface is a Creature Commandos prequel, and the animated series revealed that Batman was already active almost two decades ago. If If that's the case, he is definitely active during Clayface as well.