James Gunn's DC Universe Announces The Brave And The Bold, Will Introduce A New Batman And Damian Wayne
Co-chairs and co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have revealed a whole new slate of TV and film projects from DC Studios that are likely to crash social media. The event took place with a small group of press members in Burbank, California, on the Warner Bros. Studios lot on Monday, January 30, where we were told about the upcoming titles and given some updates on current ones.
The 10 series and films that were revealed include "Creature Commandos," "Booster Gold," "Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow," "Lanterns," "Superman: Legacy," "Swamp Thing," "The Authority," "Waller," a Wonder Woman prequel series called "Paradise Lost," and "The Brave and The Bold," which are sure to have fans buzzing. The titles are all part of (but not all of) the first of two chapters in the DC Studios' eight to 10-year plan. The first chapter is called "Gods and Monsters."
Chapter 1 will, according to Safran, tell "cohesive stories that highlight love, compassion, and the innate goodness of the human spirit, all designed to minimize audience confusion and maximize audience engagement across platforms."
"The Brave and the Bold" will be a live-action film that features the comic book character of Damian Wayne, the son of Batman. Before you start speculating on the ages of our current caped crusaders, this version of Batman will not be played by the Snyderverse's Ben Affleck or "The Batman" star Robert Pattinson. The film will introduce DC Studios' new version of Batman. For the record, "The Batman 2" is still happening, but it's totally separate. Affleck may not be putting on the cape again for this film, but rest assured that he will likely remain in the DCU, as Gunn and Safran revealed that they're in talks with him to direct a project (though not this one).
'He was raised as a little murderer and assassin'
The character of Damian Wayne was technically created in 1987 by writer Mike W. Barr and artist Jerry Bingham as an infant, but the main release was in 2006 in "Batman" #655, where Grant Morrison picked up the character's thread and took him in a significant direction, with new artwork by Andy Kubert. Damian is the son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul in the comics, raised by his mother to be a murderer. He later ends up working with his father, becoming a Robin, and Batman himself at one point. James Gunn gave us a little insight into the project:
"So this is the introduction of the DCU's Batman. It is not Robert Pattinson, it's not Ben Affleck. [...] But this is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son, who he didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a b****, he's my favorite Robin. It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now."
This is really exciting; not just because seeing Bruce interact with a difficult kid will be fascinating, but because it says certain things about the version of Batman we're going to see. If he has a son who is old enough to be "a little son of a b****," it means Batman won't be super young. Contrasting that with the fact that the film "Superman: Legacy" (which will be released on July 11, 2025) will show us a younger Superman who is working at the Daily Planet, we might get some interesting interactions. Morrison's run on the comic was spectacular, which bodes well for the project.
The Bat-family is finally headed to the big screen
That's not the only news about the project, though. Bats and Bats Jr. won't be the sole members of the superfamily that we'll see in "The Brave and the Bold." Peter Safran added:
"And this is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended Bat-family. Just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long."
Though we don't know precisely which family members might be in this film, James Gunn was asked if Dick Grayson might appear. His answer? "Maybe." Grayson has also been Robin and Nightwing, among other superhero monikers, and teamed up with Damian in the comics. He also appeared in the Cartoon Network animated series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," which ran from 2008 through 2011 and featured Damian and his pop Bruce.
No casting for the film was announced, but it's still early days.