The DCU may have found its Batman (and you won’t believe who it could be)

The DC Universe may be bringing back a veteran Batman to be their Dark Knight, and the options are, well, surprising. Could one of these Batmen be the DCU’s Caped Crusader?

The DC Universe has a Batman problem. It’s one of the things that made the original DC Extended Universe hard to follow in its later years, and it could continue to be an issue for James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU.

Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight of The Batman film saga will continue in the Elsewords franchise that runs parallel to the main DCU timeline, while The Flash – one of the last relics of the DCEU – will feature DCEU Batman (Ben Affleck) and Michael Keaton’s veteran Batman too.

We now know that we will also meet the new DC Universe’s Caped Crusader in The Brave and the Bold, a movie that will feature Bruce Wayne and his son Damian Wayne. And now a new rumor suggests that it is indeed a veteran actor that already played the role. No, unfortunately, it might not be the one you’re hoping for.

Who is playing Batman in the DCU reboot?

A new rumor recently surfaced online that claimed the DC Universe was hoping to bring back a veteran Batman actor to play the DCU’s new Dark Knight going forward and that they could, in fact, appear in The Flash movie. The report, which was shared by insider Grace Randolph, claims that actor would be one of Val Kilmer, George Clooney, or Christian Bale.

If true, this would be very disheartening for Keaton fans, as the actor was rumored to take over from Affleck as the DCEU’s permanent Batman following his appearance in The Flash. Now, it seems like he’ll just exist as part of whatever universe Barry Allen finds himself in during that movie, and perhaps not appear in any projects after that.

The thing that makes the rumor hard to believe is the response to George Clooney’s Caped Crusader. The actor played the role in 1997’s Batman and Robin, which has gone down in infamy as one of the worst comic book movies ever made. Would James Gunn and Peter Safran really want to risk bringing him back (regardless of how good he could be with the right script)? And while Kilmer was far superior in the role, 1995’s Batman Forever isn’t exactly well-regarded either (even if it is underrated).

It goes without saying that DC fans would love to see Christian Bale tackle the role again. His critically-acclaimed performance in The Dark Knight Trilogy is as well-regarded as Keaton’s in the Tim Burton franchise, and it would be great to see him back in the Batsuit again. But Bale has been vocal on multiple occasions about how he wouldn’t return to the role without director Christopher Nolan involved.

The most interesting thing about this rumor is that it suggests DC Studios want to cast an older Batman, which probably makes sense considering how much of a veteran he would need to be for when Damian Wayne comes into the picture. But, as always with rumors, it’s better to take this one with a pinch of salt until confirmed by DC Studios.

Would you like to see Val Kilmer, George Clooney, or Christian Bale reprise their role as Batman in the DC Universe’s Flash or Brave and the Bold movies? Should it be Keaton who becomes the DCU’s Batman? Let us know in the comments below!