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Andy Muschietti is officially bidding to direct a new Batman movie, Variety can exclusively report. The film is one of several new DC Studios titles planned by directors James Gunn and Peter Safran earlier this year.
Mussetti, who is behind this weekend’s superhero release The Flash, will direct Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The project is based on the comic series by Grant Morrison, whom Gunn called “extraordinarily influential” in the DC Universe in January. The comics depict a “bat family” in which Bruce Wayne’s biological son, Damian, serves as Robin for his father’s Batman. Pussyetti’s sister and creative partner Barbara will produce the project along with Gunn and Safran through her label Double Dream.
“We saw ‘The Flash’; “Even before we took charge of DC Studios, we knew we were not only in the hands of a visionary director, but also a huge DC fan,” Gunn and Safran told Variety of Muschietti. “It’s a great film – funny, emotional, suspenseful – and Andy’s affinity and passion for these characters and this world resonates in every frame. When it came to finding a director for The Brave and the Bold, there really was only one choice. Luckily Andy said yes. Barbara signed up to produce with us and we were on our way. They are an exceptional team and we could not have better and more inspiring partners as we embark on this exciting new adventure in the DCU.”
There is currently no screenwriter assigned to the project. This will be Robin’s first live-action film appearance since Chris O’Donnell starred alongside George Clooney in the 1997 film Batman and Robin. This film will exist separately from Robert Pattinson’s The Batman films.
Gunn and Safran’s first series is called Gods and Monsters and the content will include series and standalone films. Other titles include a previously announced Superman feature film directed by Gunn, now officially titled Superman: Legacy, a Wonder Woman prequel series, and a Green Lantern mystery series. Lesser-known DC characters, including Booster Gold and Swamp Thing, are also introduced. While the DCU exists as a multiverse, these titles will exist in a single universe.
Mussetti was the creative force behind another blockbuster Warner Bros. Discovery franchise – New Line Cinema’s It, starring Bill Skarsgard and Jessica Chastain. His breakthrough came in 2013 with the acclaimed horror project Mama, which also starred Chastain.