We May Know When the DCU’s Batman Movie Will Release

Audiences will see Batman on the big screen again in 2027 when Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II finally premieres after multiple delays. But since that franchise takes place in its own continuity separate from the newly established DC Universe, there’s another big-screen Batman fans are waiting to see. One of the many projects DC Studios has in development is a movie called The Brave and the Bold, which revolves around the relationship between an older Bruce Wayne and his son Damian. Audiences have been eager to know when the DCU’s Batman will make his live-action debut (after making a cameo on the animated Creature Commandos), and now a release window may have been narrowed down.

On Threads, DC Studios co-head James Gunn addressed a rumor purporting that The Brave and the Bold won’t hit theaters until 2030 or 2031. In response to a question asking if he’s targeting a release date that far away, the filmmaker simply wrote “No.” While Gunn didn’t provide his ideal release date for The Brave and the Bold, his comments on the matter make it easy for fans to make an educated guess.

When Could The Brave and the Bold Release?

The Brave and the Bold remains undated on DC Studios’ official release schedule, but Gunn has been willing to talk about release windows in the past. Over the summer, he noted that he would prefer if The Brave and the Bold did not come out in the same calendar year as The Batman Part II, seemingly in an effort to avoid confusing general audiences with two high-profile Batman films at once. If The Batman Part II is slated for 2027 and the 2030s is too distant a future for The Brave and the Bold, the DCU film will likely debut in either 2028 or 2029.

Which year specifically will depend on some outside factors. As Gunn has repeatedly said since he became the co-head of DC Studios, no project will begin production without a finished script he is happy with. The Brave and the Bold is currently being written, and it’s unknown how long it will take the screenplay to develop. If the film’s creative team hit any snags during the writing process, then 2029 may be more plausible, allowing for more time to iron the script out. Rushing something for the sake of meeting a release date could backfire; for as much as fans want to see the DCU’s Batman, it’s better to be patient.

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Nothing is set in stone at this point, but it sounds like the plan is to have The Brave and the Bold release in between new installments of Reeves’ Batman Epic Crime Saga. Reeves has always intended to make a third Batman movie, something that likely wouldn’t come to fruition until a few years after The Batman Part II anyway. Theoretically, The Batman Part III could snag a 2030 release date. This hypothetical rollout would make some sense within the larger framework of the DCU and DC Studios. Instead of waiting another handful of years for Reeves to wrap up his Batman story, Gunn and Co. could get The Brave and the Bold out in the interim, taking advantage of the gap between Reeves’ movies. This would allow Gunn to formally introduce the DCU’s Batman sooner rather than later, setting plans in motion for the character’s future.

If The Brave and the Bold comes out in 2028 or 2029, it will be fascinating to see how moviegoers respond. Gunn has talked about wanting to pursue Elseworlds projects that give creatives the freedom to tell different stories outside of the main continuity, but something like this hasn’t really been attempted in live-action films before. There have never been two separate Batman series going on simultaneously, presenting DC Studios with a tricky challenge it needs to figure out. There is risk for confusion, but between spacing the films out and the differences in premise (one centering around a veteran Batman with a Bat Family under his wing), there’s a path for both to be very successful.

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