James Gunn says DCU’s new Batman casting ‘isn’t very far away’ but Harley Quinn is Margot Robbie’s move
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- DC Studios co-chief James Gunn says “it won’t be too long” until the DCU casts its Batman.
- The filmmaker hints that the Caped Crusader will likely not be an A-lister, but roughly around Superman’s age.
- Gunn also says he would “bend over backwards” to make Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn work if she wants to return.
The DC Universe’s Batman hasn’t been cast yet, but James Gunn says “it won’t be too long” until it happens.
The filmmaker and DC Studios co-chief recently debunked a couple of rumors regarding the status of the superhero franchise’s new Caped Crusader, whose existence in the shared cinematic universe was confirmed in an episode of the animated “Creature Commandos” last year.
“Batman ... isn’t cast yet, by the way, [to] all the people thinking he’s going to appear in this or that,” Gunn said in a one-off “official podcast” episode released Thursday about the status of his 2021 film, “The Suicide Squad,” in the DCU canon. “It’s all b—. But when we do cast the DCU Batman, which isn’t very far away ... I want to get everybody into account.”
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The DC Studios boss added that an actor having appeared in a small role on “The Suicide Squad” would not automatically disqualify them from being in the running.
“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. And for some reason, Batmans are always chosen [from] movie stars.”
Robert Pattinson currently portrays the Dark Knight in director Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” universe, but these films exist outside of the DCU continuity shared by the likes of “Superman” (2025,) “Supergirl” (2026) and “Lanterns.”
For those searching for any clues about the DCU’s iteration of the character, Gunn teased that Batman will be about the same age as his “future best pal” Superman, who is portrayed by 33-year-old actor David Corenswet.
Later, on social media, Gunn responded to a fan’s query regarding those rumored to be front-runners for the Batman role.
“No one is in the running,” Gunn wrote Friday on Threads. “We haven’t started casting yet.”
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While fans can expect to see a new actor donning the cape and cowl, the future for Batman rogues gallery favorite Harley Quinn is a bit less clear. In his conversation with “Peacemaker” stars Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee for “The Suicide Squad: Is It Canon?” podcast, Gunn also addressed the character’s status in the DCU.
“I think Harley is actually one of the more difficult things in this to justify as being canon in the DCU,” Gunn said, alluding to the established lore of the popular character portrayed by Margot Robbie. Harley’s journey to becoming a villain is tied to her romantic relationship with the Joker, who has not yet been introduced.
“We don’t know if Joker exists [in the DCU] yet,” Gunn said. “And obviously, Joker is a part of Harley’s past. [But] Margot Robbie is one of my favorite actors to work with. She is so good in [‘The Suicide Squad’] ... I love her as Harley.”
The “Man of Tomorrow” filmmaker said the bigger question is whether Robbie, whose star has continued to rise since she first took on the role, would even be interested in portraying the character again.
“Harley is a character I’m almost certainly going to use in the DCU,” Gunn added. “If Margot wants to play her, then I’ll bend over backwards to explain that in the world. But if she doesn’t then I might go with somebody else where I don’t have to be attached to what happens to Harley in [‘The Suicide Squad’].”
