James Gunn Reveals if Batman Will Appear in Superman: Legacy

Ever since becoming co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn has teased some exciting projects for the rebooted DCU. Gunn’s first big project for the studio is Superman: Legacy, which is expected to go into production very soon. Gunn shared in December that the film’s script was almost finished, and it’s been confirmed that David Corenswet is playing Superman alongside Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. Gunn has been answering questions about the upcoming movie on Threads, and he had a pretty hilarious response when one fan asked why Batman won’t be in the upcoming film.

“Why can’t Batman appear in Superman Legacy and can we see Batman in some other production before his film?” one fan asked. “Well he can’t appear in Superman Legacy because he’s not in the script,” Gunn quipped.

Seems fair enough! While you shouldn’t expect to see the Dark Knight crossing paths with Superman in Gunn’s next film, the DCU does have plans for Batman. It was previously announced that The Brave and The Bold will be part of the new shared universe, and mark the first Batman story in the rebooted franchise. This will be unrelated to Matt Reeves’ The Batman starting Robert Pattinson, which is getting a sequel in 2025. 

“Matt is working on Batman 2, which he thinks of it as a Batman crime saga, which also includes the Penguin TV series,” Gunn previously said when asked about the project. “And it is its own thing, and he’s hard at work on that. He came in and pitched us some amazing, really cool stuff the other day. Our plan is for that to continue.”

Peter Safran added, “Batman’s not a stepchild. I mean, it’s all under DC. We are fully invested in the success of the Batman, just like we are everything else.”

“But of course, everything’s going to be balanced,” Gunn concluded. “So The Brave and the Bold is not going to be coming out in the same six-month period as Batman.”

What Is Superman: Legacy About? 

DC Studios describes Superman: Legacy as the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas. He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. 

In addition to the previously mentioned stars, Superman: Legacy will feature María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason/Metamorpho, and Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher. 

“It’s not an origin story,” Safran previously explained to reporters when asked about the film. “It focuses on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Superman represents truth, justice, and the American way. He has kindness in a world that thinks of kindness as old fashioned.”

Gunn previously confirmed Superman: Legacy would be released in theaters on July 11, 2025.