James Gunn’s DC Universe will have its own Batman, and DC fans have found the best replacement for Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. The DC Universe continues its course after the success of its first movie, Superman, in 2025. Gunn’s DC Universe has various projects lined up for the near future, among them a new Batman movie that won’t bring Pattinson’s version of the character back.
Instead, the DC Universe will have its own Batman while Pattinson’s continues its course in a different universe. The DC Universe’s Batman movie will be The Brave and the Bold, to be directed by Andy Muschietti. The Brave and the Bold will have a different actor playing Batman, and while an official casting announcement hasn’t been made, DC fans have been very vocal about their choices.
Paul Anthony Kelly Is The New Fan-Favorite Batman Casting
Love Story FX show
Since it was revealed that The Brave and the Bold won’t be bringing Ben Affleck or Robert Pattinson’s Batman back, there have been numerous rumors and fan-casting for the next Batman. The latest one involves Paul Anthony Kelly, who, at the time of writing, stars in FX’s Love Story.
Paul Anthony Kelly plays John F. Kennedy Jr. in Love Story, which chronicles JFK Jr.’s relationship with fashion publicist Carolyn Bessette (Sarah Pidgeon). Love Story premiered on February 12, 2026, and it has already caught the attention of critics (currently holding an 84% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes), who have praised Kelly and Pidgeon’s performances.
Kelly’s performance has also caught the attention of DC fans, who have voiced their interest in seeing him as the next Batman. Kelly surely has the poise to be Bruce Wayne and has shown enough depth in his performance as JFK Jr. to prove he can take on the complexities of a character like Batman, so he would be a great candidate for the role.
What James Gunn Has Said About The Brave And The Bold’s Batman
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Despite being one of the DC Universe’s biggest and most anticipated upcoming projects, not much has been revealed about The Brave and the Bold. The movie will explore members of the Bat-Family and have Damian Wayne, Bruce’s son, as a version of Robin.
Thanks to this, The Brave and the Bold will be a one-of-a-kind father-and-son story, but so far, no actors have been cast yet. The latest update on The Brave and the Bold was shared by Gunn on Threads, where he said that substantial updates on the movie’s development depend on when the script is ready, and so far, there is no news on that.
As for who could play Batman in The Brave and the Bold, Gunn hasn’t given any hints at who’s a frontrunner or what type of actor he’s looking for. Speaking to The Ringer-Verse (via GamesRadar), Gunn said he definitely has ideas about actors who could play Batman in the DC Universe, but didn’t give a hint of who that could be.
Some fan-favorite suggestions so far are Alan Ritchson, Brandon Sklenar, and Jensen Ackles. The latter has voiced Batman in three animated adaptations.
Ultimately, The Brave and the Bold can’t really do much without a script and thus a clear idea of where the story and characters will go, so it makes sense that no big updates and no casting announcements will be made until the script is ready to go.
Why Robert Pattinson Is Not Playing Batman In The DCU
Robert Pattinson’s Batman looking scared upwards in The Batman
Ben Affleck’s time as Batman officially ended in The Flash, but there was another Batman taking over the big screen thanks to Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Robert Pattinson debuted as the Caped Crusader in Reeves’ movie, and he played a younger version of the character.
Pattinson’s version of Batman was very well-received by critics and general audiences, but he’s not part of the DC Universe. Gunn has explained that Reeves’ The Batman lives separately from the DC Universe, in the Elseworlds franchise. While Pattinson won’t be Batman in The Brave and the Bold, he will continue to play the character in his own universe.
It’s hard to say when an official casting announcement for The Brave and the Bold’s Batman will be made, and even more difficult to say who will be the chosen one to play the Dark Knight, but Paul Anthony Kelly is one of the best fan suggestions so far.
Source: The Ringer-Verse (via GamesRadar).