Warner Bros. boss talks new DC universe plans: "There’s not going to be four Batmans"

Ben Affleck as Batman in Zack Snyder's Justice League
(Image credit: Warner Bros./HBO Max)

Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav is confident that new DC Films bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran are going to turn the entire DCEU around.

"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 in a conversation hosted by RBC (via The Hollywood Reporter). "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."

Robert Pattinson and Ben Affleck most recently played the caped crusader, with Affleck and Michael Keaton are both set to reprise their roles as different Batmen in The Flash – as the movie finds Barry Allen sending his entire timeline into chaos after attempting to go back and prevent his mother's death. 

With Affleck previously stating that The Flash would be a "nice finish" to his tenure as Batman, it's possible that Keaton's Batman will be the main Bruce Wayne in the DCEU while Pattinson continues in his own little universe linked to The Batman and the upcoming Penguin spin-off. And then there's Joker, which had its own young Bruce Wayne, a whole different DC universe.

Zaslav also confirmed that Gunn and Safran are close to finishing their new 'bible' for DC, which consists of an 8-10 year plan for projects within the DCEU. Gunn shared a photo of Lobo to the social media platform Mastodon earlier this month, and has since tweeted a photo of Mister Terrific. Gunn could very well be teasing what's to come for the new DC Universe.

For more, check out our list of all the new superhero movies flying your way in 2022 and beyond.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.