Following the success of the DC Universe’s first theatrical entry, Superman, fans are clamoring for the other two-thirds of the DC Trinity to join the franchise. Though DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has confirmed that both heroes are part of his creative vision, neither Batman nor Wonder Woman have been cast.

Recently, Gunn responded to reports that actors were reading for both heroes and that they were to appear in the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. “All these rumors of Batman and Wonder Woman auditions are false,” Gunn wrote on Threads after a fan asked him if actors had been auditioning to play the Dark Knight.

Gunn further shut down rumors that there was another big DC casting announcement on the way. “The big news was Brainiac,” the director explained. “Most other sizable roles are characters we’ve already met. Smaller roles are being [cast] now.“

Offering a possible reason as to why the rumors got started, he continued: “We are currently casting a female character in MoT. My only guess is scoopers are taking a stab at guessing that’s WW.” Further replies speculated that the female role could be Starfire, Big Barda, or Jenny Sparks, all of whom have ties to upcoming DCU projects.

As for prevalent casting rumors, both Batman and Wonder Woman have their fair share of popular picks. For the Caped Crusader, proposed actors from People’s Sexiest Man Alive Jonathan Bailey to Brandon Sklenar to Smallville’s Tom Welling have been suggested. Meanwhile, Alexandra Daddario remains a top contender for Wonder Woman, with Melissa Barrera also in the conversation.

Last year, when discussing Wonder Woman in relation to the Justice League retcon in Peacemaker season 2, Gunn confirmed the Amazon heroine will “exist eventually.” However, he then added that he did not know “whether [she] exist[s] now.”

This differs from his approach to Batman and his extended roster of supporting heroes and villains. One such character, Clayface, will have a feature film release later this year. Additionally, two Batfamily related projects have been confirmed. The first, titled The Brave and the Bold, will feature Bruce Wayne/Batman with his youngest son, Damian Wayne, as Robin, and it is canon to the broader DCU.

The second is a stop-motion animated feature called Dynamic Duo that will center around the first two Robins, Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. The latter is of dubious canonicity with the broader franchise, thus it is unlikely to factor significantly into the live-action DCU.

Despite the potentially discouraging update that fans will have to wait longer for casting news, the silver lining is that both Batman and Wonder Woman are joining the DC Universe. Rather than a question of if, Gunn’s statements have made it clear that it’s a question of when.

• Created by

  Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

  First Film

  Man of Steel

  First TV Show

  Peacemaker

  Cast

  Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Zachary Levi, Dwayne Johnson, Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ali Wong, Ewan McGregor, Idris Elba, John Cena, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Xolo Mariduena

  Movie(s)

  Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, Aquaman, Shazam!, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, The Suicide Squad, Black Adam, Shazam! The Fury of the Gods, The Flash, Blue Beetle, Superman, The Brave and the Bold

  Character(s)

  Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg, Harley Quinn, The Joker, Shazam, Darkseid, Amanda Waller, Lex Luthor, Doomsday, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Black Canary, Black Adam

  The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.