James Gunn says Batman is "a big part" of the DCU – and reveals more Superman details

Henry Cavill in Man of Steel
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

James Gunn has revealed more details about the DCU future of Batman and Superman. Gunn and Peter Safran are the new co-CEOs of DC Studios and have already brought in major changes to the universe

One of the biggest shake-ups is the news that Henry Cavill is officially out as Superman, just months after his Black Adam post-credits scene appearance and Instagram post announcing his return. Gunn shared an update that he is writing a new Superman film that will focus on a younger incarnation of the character, hence why Cavill would no longer be playing the hero. 

Gunn has since teased additional details on the movie. After again reiterating that the film won't be an origin story, he wrote on Twitter: "He's not meeting the major characters for the first time, either. He's merely younger." Variety has reported that the film will see Clark Kent in his early days as a reporter and will include characters like Lois Lane. 

As for Batman, Gunn has denied a report that Robert Pattinson's Batman would be joining the main DCU – which The Batman director Matt Reeves also denied – but has since said that Batman is "a big part of the DCU." It would seem that Ben Affleck is officially finished as the character, too, as Gunn earlier revealed that he had spoken to the actor about directing a film in the DCU

The future of other DC characters is currently in doubt. Wonder Woman 3 has been scrapped, while Jason Momoa might not continue as Aquaman after the upcoming sequel. But, Ta-Nehisi Coates' Superman project is still said to be in active development. 

More news on Gunn and Safran's DCU slate is coming next year. In the meantime, check out our guide to watching the DC movies in order to get caught up on the DCU so far. 

TOPICS
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English. 

Read more
James Gunn
James Gunn's DC Studios puts several projects on the backburner, including Waller, The Authority, Booster Gold, and its Batman reboot
Superman
James Gunn cryptically suggests that the DCU is building towards a Superman and Batman crossover
James Gunn
James Gunn says he's busy writing his next DC Studios project, and fans think they've worked out what it is
Colin Farrell in The Penguin
James Gunn tries to clear up which projects are DC Studios, but it's still pretty confusing
Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne in The Batman
James Gunn says it's "not the plan" for Robert Pattinson to play Batman in the DCU, but he "wouldn't rule anything out"
Robert Pattinson in The Batman
Upcoming DC movies and TV shows: every DCU title coming soon
Latest in Superhero Movies
Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder's Justice League
Ben Affleck reflects on the "excruciating experience" playing Batman in the Zack Snyder movies: "A lot of it was misalignment of agendas, understandings, expectations"
James Gunn
James Gunn reacts to Jason Momoa almost spoiling his Lobo costume in an interview: "I just want to profoundly thank Jason’s publicist"
Peter Dinklage as Toxie in The Toxic Avenger
The first trailer for Peter Dinklage's long awaited Toxic Avenger reboot movie channels all the raunchy weirdness of the '80s original
Hot Fuzz
The 35 greatest 2000s action movies
Captain America: Brave New World
Giancarlo Esposito confirms he was originally set to play Marvel's King Cobra in Captain America: Brave New World: "It was a bit of a whirlwind"
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers in Avengers: Endgame
The Russo brothers hope that Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are a "new beginning" for the MCU
Latest in News
Pillars of Eternity
10 years later, in a post-Baldur's Gate 3 and Avowed world, Obsidian is giving its own throwback CRPG Pillars of Eternity a turn-based combat mode
Destiny 2 Lightfall
When Destiny 2 "weekly active users dropped lower and faster than we'd seen since 2018," Bungie assembled an A-Team to put out some fires: "We needed to do something"
Velma, Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo looking at a giant key which is also a clue
Netflix is rebooting Scooby-Doo as a live-action series from the producer of Supergirl and The Flash centered around a "supernatural murder" at a summer camp
Astro Bot
Astro Bot went through 23 pitch iterations before its director promised PlayStation "happy gameplay" and "overflowing charm," though it did once end with robot decapitation that made "some people really upset"
Tomb Raider
5 years after Avengers, 2 years after its last layoffs, and who knows how long before Perfect Dark and Tomb Raider return, Crystal Dynamics announces another round of layoffs
AI Limit
"AI is not as effective as it might appear": Dev of AI-focused Soulslike RPG says they didn't use any AI-generated content and it can't match "genuine creativity"