James Gunn Denies Batman: The Brave and the Bold Is On Hold, But I'm Not Fully Convinced Either Way

Batman: The Brave and the Bold became a flashpoint this week after a report claimed the DCU film was on hold, only for DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn to push back directly on threads. For fans who have been waiting to see a new take on the Dark Knight since the DCU slate reveal, the disagreement matters because it is one of the few concrete signals about when, or if, this Batman movie is actually moving forward.

Batman: The Brave and the Bold reportedly paused amid the Paramount merger, then Gunn says no

According to a report from Mark Cassidy, "we knew Batman: The Brave and the Bold was not a current priority for DC Studios, but it seems we may be waiting even longer" for the movie. The film was one of the most exciting projects announced during Gunn and Peter Safran's Gods and Monsters DCU slate reveal, taking inspiration from Grant Morrison's acclaimed run and set to serve as the DCU debut of a new Batman alongside Damian Wayne, the Dark Knight's son who was raised as an assassin for the first eight to ten years of his life. The Flash director Andy Muschietti was later brought on to helm it, before that film's box office underperformance led to speculation Muschietti might be taken off the project entirely.

An insider named Dan Mercica claimed Muschietti told him all work on the movie is on hold until the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is settled, which Mercica said "may not happen for quite some time." He added, "I suspect what's likely is that Muschietti himself doesn't know if he's moving ahead with Brave and the Bold until after the merger is finalized," though he also noted Muschietti didn't seem worried and would simply move on to another film if it doesn't pan out. I have to flag that this was not an official interview, just someone relaying what Muschietti supposedly told them, so it isn't double sourced in any formal sense.

Gunn responded on threads, saying it "doesn't sound like something Andy would have said," and insisted the project is "no way on hold" due to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Mercica followed up with his own suspicion: "My suspicion is that Andy Muschietti is unaware of the current status of Brave and the Bold... spoke with my friend about this weeks ago. So either he is out of the loop or there's since been updates." From what I'm hearing on both sides, my own read is that Muschietti probably did say something close to what was reported, and that everything at DC is likely waiting to see what happens with the merger before anything gets greenlit, regardless of what Gunn says publicly.

Why I think Brave and the Bold is the wrong move for the DCU right now

I've said before, and I'll say it again, that I think Brave and the Bold is a mistake at this stage. Doing an obscure, older Batman with a surprise son feels too soon to me when this DCU Batman isn't established enough yet. I think that kind of story works better down the line, whether with a more established version of the character or if the DCU ever brought back an actor like Christian Bale or Ben Affleck who audiences already know as Batman. From what I've heard about the tone, it leans on lighter humor, and that never got me excited about the project in the first place.

I also don't think there's any world where Muschietti actually ends up directing this. My feeling is he should stick with the It universe, since Welcome to Derry has been strong, and I think he knows that world. If he really is out of the loop on Brave and the Bold's status, that tells me the studio isn't treating it as a priority right now, whatever gets said publicly.

Lanterns season two is, in my opinion, "the best thing they've done so far in the DCU"

Having caught up to Lanterns season two episode two, I think the DCU should shift its overall tone toward what this show is doing. To me it's a perfect blend of comic book material with humor, more grounded but still clearly building an otherworldly universe, and I like it more than Superman, more than Supergirl, and more than what I've seen so far of Peacemaker season two. I singled out Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as standouts, and I loved the interrogation scene from the first episode, which was shown at Comic-Con.

On the show's central mystery, I'll say I hope I'm wrong, but it seems predictable that the Manhunter turns out to be the wife, Zoe. As for people saying Kyle Chandler's Hal Jordan doesn't match the comics, my response is that no comic has ever shown a 60 year old Hal Jordan who's been a Lantern for 40 years, so this is simply a version of the character we haven't seen before.

Dan Stevens cast as Robocop in Amazon's Prime Video series

According to a Hollywood Reporter article, Dan Stevens has been cast as Alex Murphy in an eight episode Robocop series for Prime Video, and I think it's a great choice. The series is written by A.C. Bradley, who also serves as showrunner and executive producer, with James Gunn, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett executive producing through Blumhouse's Atomic Monster. Robocop was reportedly among the first batch of MGM titles identified for series development back in April 2023, according to Deadline.

Stevens is currently busy elsewhere too, including the second season of Dexter: Resurrection, the A24 film Onslaught with Adam Wingard, the movie Babies, and reprising his role in a Godzilla x Kong sequel set for 2027. I think the 1987 Robocop worked because of its satire, and I'm curious whether this new take plays it straight with a serious, current day political angle instead. I also think the 2014 Joel Kinnaman remake, which was PG-13, was forgettable rather than outright terrible.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days sequel reportedly in early development

A sequel to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, is reportedly in the works, with Hudson attached to produce and several key creative roles still to be filled. The aim is reportedly for both actors to reprise their original roles, with a screenwriter currently being sought and longtime producer Stacey Sher also on board. The original film made $177.5 million against a $50 million budget, and McConaughey has recently discussed it as one of his best films in terms of residuals.

My question here is whether this ends up as a theatrical release or a streaming title, because I don't see Hudson and McConaughey doing a straight-to-streaming movie. Given how romantic comedies used to perform in theaters versus now, I think this will likely get a theatrical release given who's involved, but the studio needs to be careful, since other legacy sequels in similar territory haven't all fared well.

People vs. Gorilla Grodd cast revealed for DC Studios' HBO Max comedy

DC Studios has announced the full cast for its new mockumentary series People vs. Gorilla Grodd, which HBO Max has given a straight to series order for eight half hour episodes. The series follows the Flash villain on trial after allegedly killing his father, King Grodd, and this is the same project previously referred to as the Jimmy Olsen show. The cast includes Jimmy Tatro, along with Superman actors Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard, Kayla Hoover as Cat Grant, and Wendell Pierce as Perry White, plus Mary Holland, Eduardo Franco and Dan Peralta, who also serves as showrunner, writer and executive producer alongside James Gunn and Peter Safran.

According to the officially released plot details, the series follows a super intelligent ape convicted of murdering his father, with Jimmy Olsen reopening the case in an eight part true crime docuseries called The Daily Plunge to investigate whether Grodd was wrongly convicted. I'll admit I don't know yet if I want a comedy show from DC, and I don't want to prejudge it the way I did with Andor before giving it a fair shot, so I'm reserving judgment until more comes out.

Do you think Muschietti ends up directing Batman: The Brave and the Bold, or has that ship already sailed?