Batman's Age In The DC Universe Gets A Major Update From James Gunn
by Joe Roberts · /FilmAdd SlashFilm on Google:
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The box office failure of "Supergirl" aside, James Gunn's DC Universe is chugging along nicely. "Lanterns" was a hit for HBO Max, and the box office for "Clayface" bodes well for the DCU's future. But Gunn's shared universe is still without a Batman, and the DC Studios co-head has mostly remained tight-lipped on what we can expect from this new version of the Dark Knight. Now, Gunn has revealed that whoever the DCU Batman turns out to be, he'll be roughly the same age as David Corenswet's Superman.
On Twitter/X, Supes & Sabers posted a clip of Gunn speaking on his "The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?" podcast, which is due to hit HBO Max and digital on October 30, 2026. While the show is ostensibly to clarify whether the titular movie is, in fact, DCU canon, Gunn was also asked about whether he takes age into account when casting, and he responded by talking about Batman. "Yeah, definitely," the DC Studios co-head replied. "That's a huge thing. People are always looking for little hints about casting of Batman and roughly, Batman and Superman are around the same age, I don't think that they're drastically different ages. They're future best pals [...] contemporaries."
This is significant for many reasons. For one, Gunn could have gone the "Dark Knight Returns" route and cast an older actor to portray a grizzled Batman, which would help differentiate the DCU Dark Knight from Robert Pattinson's version in the self-contained Matt Reeves-verse. Corenswet, however, is 33 years old, which is seven years younger than Pattinson. It seems we'll actually be getting a comparatively sprightly Dark Knight when Gunn's version finally does debut — though that still seems to be a way off.
James Gunn says he's close to casting the DC Universe's Batman
During his "The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?" comments, James Gunn confirmed that "it won't be too long" before he starts casting the new Batman. The multi-hyphenate did, however, clarify that the DC Universe Batman "isn't cast yet," despite rumors to the contrary, before striking an oddly belligerent tone by adding, "All the people thinking he's gonna show up in this or that, it's all bulls***." Okay, James, sorry.
Thus far, many a name has been bandied about in relation to who might don the cape and cowl for Gunn's shared universe. Alan Ritchson is one of the most prominent, but it seems he could be in the running for a different role altogether. Gunn's co-chairman of DC Studios Peter Safran confirmed that he had met with Ritchson, but rumors suggest this was for a role in the upcoming Bane and Deathstroke movie "Savage Hunters." The "Reacher" star is also 43 years old, which would presumably put him out of contention for a character that Gunn envisions as being around the same age as David Corenswet.
For now, it remains unclear who, exactly, Gunn and Safran have in mind for the job, but it seems there could be more updates soon, considering they're preparing to cast their Batman. Safran recently confirmed Batman's status during "Clayface," explaining that the Dark Knight "is there" during the events of the film, which represents the "first step into the world of Gotham." Alas, the movie doesn't feature the Caped Crusader, who thus far has only been glimpsed in animated silhouette form during the "Creature Commandos" series.
James Gunn wants to cast the best Batman actor for the job
While James Gunn claims to have not yet found his David Corenswet-aged Batman/Bruce Wayne, he did reveal that he's not opposed to casting anyone who might have appeared in prior DC movies. "If I gave somebody a day role in 'Suicide Squad' that is going to be the best Batman, I'm not going to rule them out from that," he told the hosts of "The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?" "I want to get everybody into account."
Gunn, who's currently preparing to release his "Superman" sequel "Man of Tomorrow" on July 9, 2027, went on to explain his view of how prior Batman castings have been carried out. "One of the things that excites me about casting Batman is being able to pick a Batman who's actually the best actor for that role," he said. "Supermans have always been chosen based on who the best actor for that role is. For some reason, Batmans are always chosen as movie stars."
Recall that Tim Burton had to fight for Michael Keaton as Batman because he felt he was perfect for the role despite widespread fan backlash. That certainly wasn't an instance of someone being cast simply because they were a star. What's more, regardless of how you feel about the Batman movie around him, "Batman Forever," Val Kilmer was a great Dark Knight who, though a big star, wasn't the actor you'd imagine if Joel Schumacher just wanted an A-lister. In fact, George Clooney might be the only Batman who fits Gunn's point. Ultimately, it seems the DC Studios co-head is referring to the fact Superman actors have been mostly unknowns, so it seems likely the DCU Batman will be a fresh face.