DCU Has a Nasty 'Too Many Batmans' Problem, But Not For Long
Since the merger of Warner Bros. with Discovery and the appointment of David Zaslav as CEO, the studio has undergone a major shake-up.
This particularly affects the DC Extended Universe (now simply DC Universe).
With the appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new CEOs of DC Studios (formerly DC Films), there have been a number of changes, and more sweeping changes are predicted in the future, as the duo struggle to solve various problems that have plagued DC's cinematic incarnation.
And one of those problems was having too many Batmans on screen.
The DCU saw the introduction of Ben Affleck 's Batman as the main incarnation. Then audience reception and studio politics combined to make him lose interest time and time again. For now it is rumored he will make an appearance in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
Then came a solo Batman film, not meant to be part of the overall cinematic universe, starring Robert Pattinson.
And the upcoming Flash movie would allow the hero to travel to different universes, reintroducing Michael Keaton's Batman to the cinematic world. Keaton was also due to return in the cancelled Batgirl movie.
And then there are the Batman appearances in various TV series. There are even completely different incarnations of Batman's famous villain, the Joker, in several films.
David Zaslav, according to his recent interview, takes dim view of this Batman overpopulation:
"I think over the next few years, you're going to see a lot of growth and opportunity around DC, there's not going to be four Batmans," Zaslav said. "And so part of our strategy is drive the hell out of DC, which James and Peter are going to do. I think they've thrilled the fans. I think they're going to thrill you over a period of time."
Now that Gunn and Safran have been appointed, they are expected to draw up an eight- to ten-year plan for the cinematic universe. Gunn has already been involved in the Marvel phases and will probably use this experience to pave the way for a gigantic franchise. The question remains: who will be the Batman to replace all the others? Ben Affleck seems the most likely candidate, but whether he would be willing to play a major role in the DCU again remains to be seen.