It's been a long road, but there finally appears to be movement on DC Studios' The Brave and the Bold. The film is meant to properly introduce Batman to James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU, following his cameo in Creature Commandos. A promising aspect of the project is that it's meant to pair the Dark Knight and Robin in live-action for the first time since 1997. The Boy Wonder expected to star is Damian Wayne, Bruce Wayne's biological son. Brave and the Bold was part of DC Studios' initial slate announcement. It was later revealed that The Flash's Andy Muschietti had been tapped to direct.
Following that, development seemed to slow down significantly. That, paired with the swift announcements of new projects like Clayface, Man of Tomorrow and the Jimmy Olsen series led some to speculate that, perhaps, the film had fallen by the wayside. That, however, does not seem to be the case. Apocalyptic Horseman, from Nexus Point News, gave a Q&A on X. When asked about updates on The Brave and the Bold, he revealed that, pending a finished script, the movie is eyeing to start production in 2027:
"They hope to shoot [The Brave and the Bold] in 2027, but that all comes down to them nailing the script down, and they've already switched writers, so we'll see."
In another tweet, he added that the film would start shooting in 2027 "at the earliest," since it is still at the scripting stage. In another response, he stated production could "easily" be pushed to 2028:
The scooper then clarified that the film getting another screenwriter was not a recent development. That bit is interesting since, while speaking to GamesRadar, Gunn stated he was working closely with a writer to get the script ready: "There's really no new updates. I mean, we're working on a script. We have a screenwriter who's hammering away at it. I'm very involved, and so, you know, we'll see what happens next. I wish I had more news for you, but I don't."
Assuming Horseman's claim is accurate, it's unclear whether the purported new writer is the one Gunn was talking about, or if the script has changed hands. The scooper also provided a tentative release window for the film based on what he's heard. In response to a user speculating The Brave and the Bold would drop in winter 2028, the scooper stated he believed it could release in December 2028: "I think December 2028 is more likely [to be honest]."
Assuming the movie starts shooting in late 2027, it could, in theory, comfortably land in December 2028. Realitically speaking, though, that may be the earliest the film could come out depending on two major factors. #1: The state of the script. #2: When production starts. DC Studios movies have so far favored wide (yet, still industry standard) gaps between shooting and release.
Superman, for example, started filming in February 2024, 16 months before its July 2025 release. Production for Supergirl began in January 2025, 18 months before its June 2026 premiere date. Man of Tomorrow is expected to start shooting in April 2026, 15 months before its planned July 2027 release date. The film with the tightest filming-to-release turnaround is Clayface, which started production around September 2025 ahead of its September 2026 premiere. Clayface, however, is a much more low-maintenance film in terms of special effects and IP relevance when compared to the likes of Superman and Batman.
Taking those aspects into account, The Brave and the Bold will likely follow the production trend established by the Man of Steel and Supergirl. With that, its release date will depend on when the script is finished, when casting starts, and when it goes behind the cameras. There is technically enough time to have the script finished by early to mid-2026 and get casting going around then, which would, in turn, mean the cast could be set by early 2027.
If that happens, the movie could start filming midway through the year, to be released by the end of 2028. That, however, assumes ideal conditions for every step of the process. Thus, December 2028 might be a fairly optimistic outlook. Depending on how things go in development, Brave and the Bold could even end up coming out in 2029. As of now, though, everything hinges on the script being completed. Therefore, it's best to await news on the screenplay to get a better idea of when the film could be coming out.
DC Studios' next chapter, Supergirl, releases on June 26, 2026. Robert Pattinson's Caped Crusader will return in The Batman: Part II, scheduled for release on October 1, 2027.
What do you think about this new rumor? Do you believe Brave and the Bold can start shooting in 2027 for a potential 2028 release date? Share your thoughts in the comments!