James Gunn could take a much more direct role in bringing Batman into the DC Universe.
A new rumor claims the DC Studios co-chairman is considering directing Batman: The Brave and the Bold himself, potentially replacing Andy Muschietti. The claim arrives alongside renewed assertions from entertainment commentator John Rocha that Muschietti will not ultimately direct the film.
There has been no official announcement that Muschietti has departed, however, and Gunn has not confirmed that he intends to take over the director’s chair.
The available evidence instead presents a developing—and frequently contradictory—picture: Muschietti remains the last officially announced director, Rocha says his Warner Bros. and DC sources insist he is out, and separate reporting claims Gunn has considered replacing him.
James Gunn Is Rumored to Be Considering Directing Batman
The claim about Gunn potentially directing The Brave and the Bold originated with Jordan Ruimy of World of Reel.
In an August 24 report, Ruimy wrote that Christina Hodson had completed the latest draft of the Batman screenplay.
Ruimy then wrote that Gunn was “actually considering replacing Muschietti… with himself.”
The report didn’t say Gunn had made a final decision. It also hasn’t been independently confirmed by any major Hollywood trade. That makes Gunn’s potential takeover a rumor, not a confirmed change behind the camera.
The possibility is nevertheless credible enough to attract attention because Gunn has been personally involved in developing the DCU’s Batman. He has spoken about finding a distinctive approach to the character and has taken an active role in shaping the screenplay.
During a February 2025 DC Studios presentation, Gunn said he was “very, very actively involved” in the script. Peter Safran also used notably conditional language when discussing Muschietti’s future with the movie.
“We’re developing the script right now, and we’re going to show Andy when we have it in a place where we think it’s ready,” Safran said. Gunn added that the studio would “then see if it’s a great fit for him,” according to ComicBook.com’s account of the presentation.
Those comments indicated that Muschietti remained under consideration, but they stopped short of guaranteeing that he would direct the finished screenplay.
John Rocha Insists Andy Muschietti Is Not Directing the Movie
John Rocha revived the Muschietti speculation during the August 26 edition of The Geek Buddies.
At approximately the 19:59 mark, Rocha said sources still connected to Warner Bros. and DC continue to tell him that Muschietti is not directing The Brave and the Bold.
“He is not doing The Brave and the Bold,” Rocha said, adding that “nothing has changed” since he first made the claim.
Director Andy Muschietti doing press for IT – YouTube, SyFy
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Rocha has been advancing that position since early 2024. His latest statement was therefore not presented as a newly discovered departure but as a reiteration of what he says his sources have maintained for nearly two years.
DC Studios continued to publicly associate Muschietti with the movie during that period, and established industry reporting hasn’t confirmed Rocha’s claim.
His information should consequently be attributed specifically to him rather than presented as an established change to the production.
Jeff Sneider Says The Brave and the Bold Is Further Along Than People Think
Jeff Sneider discussed the film during the August 27 episode of The Hot Mic, saying he had heard that The Brave and the Bold was further along than audiences might believe.
According to Sneider, DC Studios was looking to move the Batman movie into production in 2027.
A screenshot from Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition (2010), Rocksteady Studios
Sneider did not confirm Rocha’s assertion that Muschietti had left. When discussing the eventual director, he said he did not know whether Muschietti would helm the movie or whether Gunn would take it on himself.
Gunn Denies That the Batman Movie Is on Hold
The directing rumors intensified after filmmaker Dan Marcus claimed Muschietti had told him that work on The Brave and the Bold was on hold while the proposed Paramount-Skydance acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery remained unresolved.
Gunn publicly rejected that account.
“It doesn’t sound like something Andy would have said, but the project is in no way on hold,” Gunn wrote on Threads, according to The Playlist.
James Gunn and David Corenswet sit for an interview about Superman – YouTube, Fandango
Gunn’s response established that The Brave and the Bold remains in development, at least according to the head of DC Studios. It did not explicitly guarantee that Muschietti remains its director.
At the same time, Gunn’s decision to defend Muschietti against a disputed attribution hardly reads as a public attempt to distance DC Studios from the filmmaker.
The denial therefore settles one question while leaving another unanswered: the project is not officially on hold, but DC Studios has not provided a fresh, definitive statement about who will direct it.
Andy Muschietti Was Still Attached in Established Reporting
The strongest established reporting continues to identify Muschietti as the director.
When TheWrap confirmed on January 21 that Hodson had been hired to write the screenplay, the trade specifically reported that Muschietti was “still attached to direct.”
That report arrived nearly two years after Rocha first claimed Muschietti was no longer involved.
Muschietti and his sister and producing partner, Barbara Muschietti, also discussed The Brave and the Bold during an interview published in April. Andy acknowledged following some of the Batman fan casting circulating online, while Barbara indicated that the filmmakers would make their own casting decision.
Robert Pattinson in The Batman: Part II test footage – ONE Media, YouTube
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CinemaBlend’s report on that conversation continued to describe Andy Muschietti as the filmmaker set to direct the movie.
Neither piece of evidence guarantees that Muschietti will remain attached through production. Filmmakers commonly leave projects during extended development because of scheduling problems, creative differences, or changes to the underlying screenplay.
They do establish, however, that Muschietti’s association with the movie continued well beyond its original 2023 announcement.
Muschietti’s Position Has Never Appeared Unconditional
Gunn and Safran initially announced Muschietti as the director in June 2023, praising his work on The Flash and describing him as both a visionary filmmaker and a major DC fan.
The project has moved slowly since then.
The Brave and the Bold still has no announced Batman, Robin, production date, or theatrical release date. Gunn also confirmed in January that the screenplay had not been completed, rejecting an online claim that the movie was already targeting a 2028 release. GamesRadar reported Gunn’s response.
Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, and Ben Affleck as the Snyderverse Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman – HBO Max
DC Studios has repeatedly said that it will not greenlight a movie until its screenplay is ready. That policy gives Gunn and Safran considerable freedom to reassess the creative team before production begins.
Muschietti also has other potential commitments. His work within the It franchise, including It: Welcome to Derry, could create a scheduling obstacle if DC Studios intends to begin Batman production in 2027.
A scheduling conflict could eventually provide a straightforward explanation for a directing change, but DC Studios hasn’t announced that such a conflict exists.
Is James Gunn Really Directing Batman?
Rocha claims Muschietti is out. Ruimy claims Gunn has considered replacing him. Sneider says the movie may be further along than publicly understood but acknowledges that he does not know who will direct it.
Against those claims, TheWrap reported in January that Muschietti remained attached, the Muschiettis discussed the project publicly in April, and Gunn recently rejected a rumor attributed to the filmmaker.
The evidence supports reporting that Gunn is rumored to be considering directing Batman: The Brave and the Bold. It doesn’t yet support reporting that he has taken the job.
James Gunn and Sean Gunn answer questions about Guardians of the Galaxy – YouTube, WIRED
Muschietti’s position appears less certain than DC Studios’ emphatic 2023 announcement once suggested. Safran’s conditional comments, the project’s lengthy development, and Rocha’s repeated assertions make an eventual departure plausible.
The idea of Gunn replacing him remains one step more speculative.
Until Gunn, Safran, Muschietti, DC Studios, or an established Hollywood trade confirms a change, The Brave and the Bold officially remains a developing Batman movie with Muschietti attached—and Gunn’s possible takeover remains an intriguing but unconfirmed rumor.
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