Recently, James Gunn and Peter Safran, the CEOs of DC Studios, unveiled the first half of their reign’s film and TV slate titled Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. During the unveiling, they revealed that they'll be working on five films, headlined by Superman: Legacy and The Brave and the Bold, which feature two of DC’s biggest superheroes, Superman and Batman, respectively.
Following their announcement and revelation of some details about the two films, many DC fans took to speculating about the ages of Superman and Batman in the planned films.
Now, Gunn has clarified the ages of the two caped heroes via a tweet he shared on his official Twitter account. In response to a fan’s comment, Gunn stated, "Yeah but people are speculating about both ages. All I ever said was Superman was younger than in his forties and Batman MIGHT be a couple years older than Superman." The filmmaker also shut down rumors of the two heroes having an age range between mid-20s and mid-30s, when he wrote, "It keeps getting repeated but I never said that."
Yeah but people are speculating about both ages. All I ever said was Superman was younger than in his forties and Batman MIGHT be a couple years older than Superman.
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) February 17, 2023
By the way, Gunn earlier gave an insight into the new Clark Kent’s personality when, during the studio’s press conference in January, he stated that the Man of Steel is a simple and idealistic individual whose greatest strength and weakness is his unwillingness to kill or hurt anyone. His comments on the Superman: Legacy character were echoed by his partner, Safran, who stated that the new film will focus on the Kryptonian’s kindness in a world where people no longer appreciate it.
Gunn further expressed his interest in introducing a villain that fans will not easily condemn. In his words, "We want to take it away from 'good guy versus bad guy.' There are almost saintly people [in the DC Universe]; Superman is among them. There are really terrible villains like Gorilla Grodd or Joker. And then there is everybody in-between, so there are all these shades of gray of these different character types which allow us to tell more complex stories."
At the moment, DC Studios hasn’t confirmed who will portray Kent in Legacy following Henry Cavill’s exit. However, Gunn, who is also developing the script, stated that the film’s casting will begin only when the script is close to completion, as is characteristic of his projects.
Likewise, Gunn revealed that the Batman film, which is titled The Brave and the Bold, will feature Batman and Damian, his son with Talia al Ghul, who will make his live-action debut as Robin for the first. Influenced by Grant Morrison’s comics, the film will focus on the father and son’s attempts to get along while crime-fighting, despite their differences. Safran added that the superhero flick will be more than a father-son show as it will feature other members of Batman’s world.
Meanwhile, The Brave and the Bold is not related to Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which debuted in 2022. Where the former is a part of the DCU, the latter falls under the DC Elseworlds banner, which includes Joker. The film’s sequel, titled The Batman 2, is currently in development and is slated to premiere in 2025.
Gunn and Safran’s new DC Universe will begin with Superman: Legacy, which will debut on July 11, 2025. The Brave and the Bold is yet to have a release date.
