James Gunn is back on his socials shooting down rumors about casting, including Batman’s age in the DCU. Prevalent speculation held until recently that the Dark Knight will be older to befit his father-figure status to the urchin Damian Wayne.
However, according to Gunn on Threads, this is not the case. A user shared a headline saying Warner Bros. was looking for someone middle age. Gunn was tagged in a reply and refuted the idea in a response: “(That’s true but the casting story is fiction.)”
This should be the last word on how old Bruce is going to be in the DCU, but it might not go down well with everyone. A lot of fans still want to see 46-year-old Jensen Ackles finally play the Caped Crusader in live-action, and Gunn’s pretty much ruled him out here for the second time.
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He may have opened the door for Robert Pattinson a little. If Gunn is looking for someone under 40 but still slightly older than Superman, whom is said to be 30, then that puts Pattinson (38) in the right range for now.
But the clock is ticking and this development only happens if there is truth to the rumor David Zaslav is pushing for the Twilight star. This is a gambit that would make The Batman the first DCU movie, but it may not come to that.
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Gunn stated last year the age of the Bat won’t be determined until he is cast, so he might be keeping options open for DC Studios. Things are wide open for Brave and The Bold. Andy Muschietti is directing but they are taking their time with the script, which has no account of being anywhere near finished yet.
In other casting news being shot down, Gunn denied that he was confirming Kumail Nanjiani is set to play Booster Gold when he reposted a series of images that chronicles DC Studios’ progress since its formation.
A picture on the right shows Nanjiani at the end of a lineup of actors cast to date, and he is positioned above art of the self-aggrandizing time traveler. When asked if this was a verification, Gunn answered, “No. I foolishly didn’t even know there was more than one photo!”
This doesn’t technically mean Nanjiani won’t be Booster, just that he’s not officially cast as of right now. He has been pictured hanging out with DC Studios Co-President Peter Safran and his wife recently, which could indicate he has a foot in the door.
