Batman: James Gunn Debunks George Clooney DCU Return Rumors

Despite persistent rumors over the weekend suggesting otherwise, George Clooney won’t be joining the DC Universe. Saturday evening, DC Studios co-head James Gunn debunked the return rumors, saying Clooney is “absolutely not” returning to the role of Bruce Wayne. Hosting another impromptu fan Q&A session on his Twitter, the filmmaker went on to confirm the actor who plays the Caped Crusader within the DCU will be new to the role, ruling out Clooney, Christian Bale, Val Kilmer, Ben Affleck, and Michael Keaton.

Within the new DC Universe, Batman is set to debut in The Brave and the Bold, a film that will feature both an adult Bruce Wayne and his son Damian. Because of that dynamic, most assumed the new Wayne would be an older actor rather than someone like Robert Pattinson. Though Clooney won’t be involved in the project, the new actor could most certainly still fit that bill.

Absolutely not.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 11, 2023

What is The Brave and the Bold going to be about?

Though plot details remain under wraps, both Gunn and his DC Studios partner Peter Safran have teased additional members of the Bat family appearing in the feature.

“This is the introduction of the DCU’s Batman…” Gunn explained of the feature during a DC Studios press event last month. “This is the story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman’s actual son who we 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 bitch. He’s my favorite Robin. It’s based on the Grant Morrison comic book’s run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs, and we are putting that all together right now.”

“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,” Safran added.

The Brave and the Bold has yet to set a release date.

What other members of the Bat Family would you like to see in the DCU? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @AdamBarnhardt up on Twitter to chat all things DCU!