James Gunn and Peter Safran’s overhaul of the DCU continues to leave fans confused about what stays and what goes when it comes to canon. The new franchise, which officially launched with Superman (2025) in the summer, was supposed to reset the tangled continuity left behind by the DCEU. But its approach has been very inconsistent.
Shows like Peacemaker and Creature Commandos are part of it, while films like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (2026) and Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2027) are already locked in.
But as this new DCU takes shape, one corner of Gotham City remains in question: Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
Reports have previously suggested that Gunn and Safran considered folding Pattinson’s version of the Dark Knight into their shared universe, though The Batman (2022) director Matt Reeves has long maintained his story would stand alone. Even so, the so-called “Batman Epic Crime Saga” that the director began in 2022 isn’t immune to uncertainty.
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The 2022 film was a major success, earning $772.3 million worldwide and scoring three Oscar nominations. It also spun off HBO’s TV series The Penguin (2024), which saw Colin Farrell reprise his role in a series that went on to earn 24 Emmy nominations and three Golden Globe nods. Despite that wide critical acclaim, though, there’s been a lot silence on a follow-up — and worse, one of its planned companion projects has now been axed.
The scrapped series, first envisioned as a Gotham City Police Department drama and later reworked into an Arkham Asylum horror story, is no longer in development. Gunn recently told BobaTalks (via IGN), “That isn’t something that is being developed by anyone right now,” adding, “You know, it just didn’t work.”
Fans didn’t take the news lightly. “Considering that Matt Reeves created one of the best executed superhero films in history… this would have been amazing,” one fan said on Instagram in response to Collider sharing the news.
Another wrote, “He [James Gunn] just wants his own shows and films.”
For now, despite delays, The Batman – Part II remains on track for an October 1, 2027 release, with Robert Pattinson and Colin Farrell confirmed to return.
Meanwhile, Gunn’s DCU will introduce its own Dark Knight in The Brave and the Bold, which is being directed by The Flash’s Andy Muschietti. The film has no release date yet.
Are you a fan of Matt Reeves’ “Batman Epic Crime Saga”? Let us know in the comments!
