Matt Reeves seems to have successfully rebooted the Caped Crusader in his 2022 film, “The Batman.” The popularity of that film, both commercially and critically, has led to the filmmaker working on several spinoffs. But according to James Gunn, the co-CEO of DC Studios, not everything Reeves is working on, in terms of superheroes, exists only within “The Batman” universe. He’ll also create content for the new DCU.
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Over on Threads (where he tends to be the most active when talking about rumors, speculation, etc…), James Gunn cleared up a couple of questions about Matt Reeves’ upcoming work at DC Studios. Though we all know the filmmaker is busy at work on development of “The Batman 2,” as well as a “Penguin” TV series coming to Max, it Reeves is also working on a project that will exist squarely in the upcoming new DCU crafted by co-CEOs Gunn and Peter Safran.
According to Gunn, Reeves will continue to work on stories in his “The Batman” Universe, but he’ll also have projects like “Arkham Asylum,” which is apparently a TV series being developed that would exist in the DCU. Why Reeves would work on multiple ‘Batman’ spinoffs that exist in and outside of the universe he’s created is anyone’s guess, but Gunn is happy to have the filmmaker doing work in both continuities.
“We love Matt as a director and producer so he’ll be producing stories both within his ‘The Batman’ universe and within the DCU,” explained Gunn.
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The idea that ‘Arkham’ would exist within the DCU and not in the same universe as “The Batman” was news for many. Fans immediately asked Gunn why the setting for the series was apparently changed.
“It wasn’t changed,” said Gunn. “It was one of the first pitches we bought when Peter and I came onboard. I don’t know the permutations it went through before that time.”
Is it semantics to say that ‘Arkham’ only ever existed in the DCU, according to Gunn? Sure. There probably existed a pre-Gunn time when the series was going to be placed firmly in “The Batman” universe. But now, for whatever reason, Reeves is developing it as a DCU story. The question remains, “Why would he do that?” It is odd, at least without knowing the story of the new show, to understand why Reeves would take ‘Arkham’ and not include it in his own blossoming continuity.
Perhaps—and this is pure speculation with no basis in any rumors—WB wants the focus to remain on the new DCU and not have “The Batman” expand to a point where it is in competition with Gunn’s vision. It would be like another Fox/“X-Men” or Sony/“Spider-Man” situation except with both universes under the same WB umbrella. It just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Regardless of the reasons, it does appear that Reeves is happy to work with Gunn and Safran, so it’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
