Why James Gunn Thinks A New Wonder Woman Movie Will Be Easier Than A Batman Flick

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Batman's future on the big screen is uncertain right now. Oh, he definitely has a future, but what's not clear is what it looks like. Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's "The Batman Part II" is dated for October 1, 2027, but has faced delays, and Reeves has not completed a script yet. Meanwhile, DC Studios President James Gunn has consistently maintained that "The Batman Part II" is still on the docket. But DC Studios has also announced another Batman movie, "The Brave and the Bold," directed by Andy Muschietti. Co-starring Robin/Damian Wayne, the film will supposedly introduce a whole new actor as the Caped Crusader.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Gunn called Batman both "the biggest character in all of Warner Bros." and "the most popular superhero in the world." It's hard to argue, but is he so big that audiences will accept two different Batmen on film simultaneously?

As DC Studios works out Batman's future, Gunn has also confirmed that a new Wonder Woman movie is in development (and we already have some suggestions for who could play Diana in the new DC Universe). Gunn dropped this insight about how he's approaching Wonder Woman to Rolling Stone:

"Wonder Woman I think is actually easier for me, because there haven't been so many infinite portrayals of Wonder Woman — definitely not in movies, but really anywhere — that there have been of Batman."

The challenge that Batman movies have reached right now is not giving people so much of a good thing that they sour on it. Wonder Woman, as Gunn argues, does not face that.

Wonder Woman stands neck and neck with Superman and Batman as the members of the "Trinity" of DC Comics, i.e. the publisher's three superhero characters that everyone knows and recognizes. But Wonder Woman has historically not gotten the level of media exposure as her fellows. (And yes, a lot that is just down to pure sexism.)

To this day, Wonder Woman has not headlined a single cartoon series about her adventures, whereas both Batman and Superman have had several each. (The last "Wonder Woman" TV show was the 1970s one starring Lynda Carter.) The same goes for the movies. Compared to dozens of Superman and Batman pictures, Wonder Woman has led two live-action theatrical films (the 2017 "Wonder Woman" and "Wonder Woman 1984") and two direct-to-home-media animated features (2009's "Wonder Woman" and "Wonder Woman: Bloodlines").

Gal Gadot similarly remains the only actor to have played Wonder Woman on the silver screen. It's also pretty telling that her debut was in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," a year before 2017's "Wonder Woman" itself came out, as if WB didn't have confidence that a Wonder Woman movie could be a success standing on its own.

But for Gunn, Wonder Woman's historical underexposure is a blessing in disguise. There have been so many different Batman actors that most people have their own individual favorites; some prefer Michael Keaton, others are firmly pro-Christian Bale, others still favor Ben Affleck, and some even argue Val Kilmer was actually the best Batman. Conversely, whoever plays Wonder Woman next will be compared only to Gadot (and probably wind up looking even better because of that comparison).

This also makes it easier on the writing process, as so much less of Wonder Woman's world and history has been explored on film compared to Batman. As Gunn explained to Rolling Stone:

"Every single Batman story has been told. It seems like half the comics that have come out of DC over the past 30 years have Batman in them ... people love him because he's interesting, but also having so much of him out there can also make him boring. So, how do you create that property that's fun to watch?"

But if your favorite Batman is Adam West, Gunn may have some bad news for you:

"There's a need for [Batman] 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."

Before this, I'd been thinking the obvious way to set the two onscreen Batmen apart would be to make them completely tonally different. Reeves and Pattinson's Batman is dark, grounded, and green, so give the DCU Batman a lighter touch. The trailers for Gunn's "Superman" definitely suggest he's embracing the zanier side of the DC Universe more so than the previous DC Extended Universe ever did.

If the DCU Batman is going to be darker already, then why not fold "The Batman" into the setting? Robert Pattinson definitely has enough range as an actor to play whatever type of Batman Gunn comes up with. Gunn was asked if this is a possibility during his Rolling Stone interview. After a "long pause," he answered:

"I would never say zero, because you just never know. But it's not likely. It's not likely at all."

As 2027, and "The Batman Part II," gets closer, we'll keep a close eye on how unlikely Pattinson's Batman joining the DC Universe remains.