James Gunn says it’s “entirely untrue” that he wants to bring Battinson into the DCU.

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The big changes at DC Studios will apparently not end up affecting the future plans for the sequels to The Batman. Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as the titular Dark Knight, The Batman is set in a standalone universe unconnected to any other DC-based films. The plan had always seemed to be to further flesh out that universe separately from the DCU with various sequels and spinoffs, such as The Batman 2 and a Penguin series starring Colin Farrell at HBO Max.

Meanwhile, James Gunn and Peter Safran are actively building out a road map for the next decade of interconnected projects from DC Studios. There have been many rumors about what could happen, and now the speculation has gotten to Reeves’ Batverse. Per Variety, a “well-placed source” who reportedly has knowledge of the situation says “Gunn and Safran are exploring the possibility of incorporating filmmaker Matt Reeves’ iteration of Batman with actor Robert Pattinson into their wider universe.”
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In other words, this would mean having crossovers featuring Pattinson’s Batman and other characters from that world with other projects in the DCU. It would open the door for a new version of the Justice League to be formed with this Batman, lining up with other rumors that Jason Momoa could be finished playing Aquaman after the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom so he can start playing Lobo in the DCU.

However, Gunn has since taken to Twitter to debunk the rumor, saying there’s no truth to the claim.

“There are few reporters I love more than (Variety’s Adam B. Vary) – truly a good guy – but in this case he needs to get a new source as this is entirely untrue,” Gunn writes.

Related: The Batman 2: What We Hope to See in the Sequel

Will Fans Want The Batman in the DCU?

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It’s hard to say what all is true amid the sea of rumors, but Gunn has also previously promised that standalone projects will still be a part of DC Studios’ future plans beyond everything that’s in store for the DCU. In response to a fan on Twitter asking if these kinds of films and series would still be made, Gunn simply responded, “Yes, some.” That seems to suggest there won’t be very many and that it won’t be the primary focus of Gunn and Safran, but that films like The Batman and Joker, with no connection to the DCU, will still exist.

For now, The Batman fans will have to wait until at least 2025 to see the sequel to the movie. With The Batman 2, the Penguin series, and another planned HBO Max show set in Arkham Asylum, there will still be plenty to come from Matt Reeves and Co. outside of the DCU.

This story has been updated to include James Gunn’s response.