Robert Pattinson's version of Batman is reportedly being considered to join the larger DC Universe under James Gunn and Peter Safran's leadership. The DC brand is going in a new direction as Gunn and Safran were hired as the leaders of the newly formed DC Studios. As of November 1, Safran and Gunn are now in charge of television, movies, and animation, with the goal of bringing about a more cohesive DCU (formerly known as the DCEU) in the future. However, the last week has been a heated one for DC Studios, with several reports emerging about what's happening to the DCU.
Now, according to Variety, "a well-placed source" states that DC Studios heads Gunn and Safran are exploring the potential of incorporating Pattinson's iteration of Batman from Matt Reeves' new franchise into the larger DCU. This comes only a week after it was reported that despite the apparent changes coming for the DCU, this wouldn't affect The Batman 2. Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios have yet to comment on the story. Pattinson and Reeves have also not commented on this report.
How Robert Pattinson's Batman Could Join The DCU
Nothing is set in stone yet, as Gunn and Safran would reportedly only be "exploring the possibility" of going through with this idea. Assuming that they manage to bring Pattinson's take on the Dark Knight into the DCU, how they would do that from a story standpoint would be the most important thing to tackle. At no point during The Batman did they establish that any other Justice League heroes exist in Pattinson's world.
There are DC Comics storylines that could easily help integrate Pattinson's world into the larger DCU and organically explain the existence of other superheroes. If Gunn and Safran wanted to, they could pull anywhere from Crisis on Infinite Earths to Flashpoint, which would allow there to be a canonical reason for Pattinson's Batman ending up in the mainline DCU. Assuming that DC Studios is only planning to do a soft reboot rather than a full-on restart, changes to the timeline and retcons could explain how the DCU suddenly has Pattinson as their new Batman.
What Does This Mean For Ben Affleck's Batman?
If Pattinson were to come into the DCU as its new Batman, Ben Affleck's role as the current iteration of the DC vigilante will be brought into question. Having played the Dark Knight since Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Affleck has reportedly been eying The Flash film as his final performance as Batman in the DCU. There were plans to have Michael Keaton's Batman essentially take over for Affleck's version in the DCU after the events of The Flash movie, but those were reportedly scrapped upon Gunn and Safran's takeover. If it's true that Affleck is retiring from the role, having Pattinson's Batman take over does give new longevity to the Dark Knight, as the DCU's new version would be significantly younger.
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