Jensen Ackles Suits Up As The DC Universe's Batman In The Brave And The Bold Concept Trailer

A new The Brave and The Bold fan trailer pitches Jensen Ackles as the perfect Dark Knight for James Gunn's DC Universe. Following the end of the DCEU movie timeline, the new DC Universe is getting closer to happening as DC Studios get ready to release Gunn's Superman movie in 2025. However, another major Justice League character who is getting rebooted for the DC Universe is Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. Batman, as the DCU still developing the hero's solo movie, The Brave and The Bold.

While story details on The Brave and The Bold are still being kept under wraps, the world is actively bringing up Ackles as a popular choice to be the next Batman in live-action. To show what he could look like as the Dark Knight, KH Studio shared a Batman: The Brave and The Bold fan trailer, to serve as a proof-of-concept.

The Brave and The Bold fan trailer uses footage from various TV shows and movies, from The Batman to Titans, with their versions of the Caped Crusader. Ackles' time as Soldier Boy on The Boys and on Supernatural is also incorporated briefly.

Why Jensen Ackles Should Be Cast In Batman: The Brave And The Bold

The idea of Ackles getting tapped as Batman for Gunn's DC Universe would be a massive victory for the franchise. Ackles is no stranger to the Batman corner of the DC Universe, having already voiced Jason Todd, a.k.a. Red Hood in Batman: Under The Red Hood, and having gotten to play Batman in animation through the Tomorrowverse.

Getting Ackles as part of the Batman: The Brave and The Bold movie would also allow Warner Bros. to make up for a lost opportunity. During the early days of the Gotham Knights TV show on The CW, there were actual attempts to have Ackles be the Batman of that universe. But filming schedules didn't line up, thus preventing Ackles from finally becoming Batman in live-action, even for a limited time.

With Ackles also being a huge fan of the character and having expressed interest numerous times in playing a live-action Batman, it seems likely that he will be given consideration for the role at the very least. However, given how DC Studios are seemingly still in the early days of planning The Brave and The Bold, time will tell when casting will actually start to happen. Hopefully, there will be news on The Brave and The Bold sooner rather than later.

What Jensen Ackles Has Said About Playing DCU's Batman

As it stands, perhaps the most important aspect when it comes to the prospect of Jensen Ackles being cast as the DCU's Batman is the actor's own perspective on the role. Helpfully, this stands Ackles in good stead, as he has repeatedly and enthusiastically expressed a willingness to play the Dark Knight in live-action, having directly said in a 2023 interview, "I would love it. Sign me up."

Indeed, this would make sense, as the actor almost played Batman in Gotham Knights - which Ackles seemingly addressed beforehand as "a DC property that I'm currently developing right now... that I've got my fingers crossed for," in 2022, only ultimately missing out on the role because of other acting commitments at the time. As such, it makes plenty of sense that Jensen Ackles would be up for a DCU role in the future, both because of his love of the role in general and because of the excitement he appears to have demonstrated about the missed Dark Knight performance.

It is also worth noting that despite this excitement, Ackles has been clear that no talks have been had regarding a prospective role in the DCU. While this suggests the actor may not be in the running despite his willingness and viability in the role, it stands to reason this could be in no small part because The Brave and The Bold itself isn't at that stage of production yet, as thus casting is still something to approach in the future when there is more of a concrete idea regarding the plot itself.

That said, with the DCU Batman movie lending itself to a more experienced Dark Knight given Damian's existence, Ackles could be a prime fit for the role. This is especially true since Jensen Ackles has demonstrated a loyalty to the idea of playing Batman both in interview approvals and in his prior acting history. However, it's also possible this DCU storyline would risk veering too close to Ackles' arc as Soldier Boy in The Boys, since this also seems his character discover a son he never knew he had - but hopefully the major tonal differences between the two projects render this irrelevant.

Jensen Ackles Has Played Batman 7 Times

While Jensen Ackles is perhaps most well known on the superhero side of things for playing Soldier Boy in the hit show The Boys, he's also played the Dark Knight more than once over the course of his acting history. In fact, Ackles began playing the role in 2021, meaning he could well go on to hold the role for longer than many of the most iconic Batman actors - though the fact he has played the voice of Batman in animation does mean this tenure is less well-known.

Jensen Ackles first voiced Batman in the two-part Batman: The Long Halloween movies, before going on to reprise the role in Legion Of Superheroes and Justice League: Warworld. This has allowed Ackles to work in more separate Dark Knight stories and alongside DC's other heroes, giving him the opportunity to gain practice in handling both scenarios. The animated version of Batman: The Long Halloween adapting one of Batman's most praised and definitive storylines means the actor has also spent considerable time delving into a crucial part of the Dark Knight's source material, which would no doubt pay dividends in live-action.

The actor has most recently voiced Batman in the DC Animated Movie Universe's three-part Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths series, with his seventh acting credit as the Caped Crusader coming via the final part of the trilogy. Helpfully, Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 3 served to provide a definitive ending to this animated version of Batman and his story, meaning there would be no potential complications on that front were Ackles to take on playing the live-action version of Batman for the DC Universe.

Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths Part 3's 2024 release date also means Jensen Ackles has three years of history in the role of Batman, which is more than some live-action Batman actors can boast. This history coming in the animated field should theoretically make it more possible for Ackles to appear as the DCU's Batman, since the actor himself hasn't physically played the role, and thus doing so for the DC Universe wouldn't risk confusing audiences who remembered seeing him in a prior release.

All this combines together to create a hefty dose of Batman experience for the actor, suggesting his DCU potential for The Brave and The Bold and onwards is even higher given the time he's been able to spend in the iconic DC hero's cape and boots. However, who ultimately ends up taking on the prestigious hero role remains unseen, though hopefully more light will be shed on DCU's Batman in the near future.

What James Gunn Has Said About Casting Jensen Ackles As Batman

In December 2023, DC Universe co-CEO James Gunn addressed the rumors that Jensen Ackles had already been cast as the DCU's Batman on Threads, stating, "There’s no script yet. Ofc it’s false." This is in line with much of what Gunn has said about the projected plans for the franchise, as he's repeatedly stated that casting is only approached for a project after the script for it has been created, and the line of currently announced actors and characters in the DC Universe reflects this.

While this does initially appear to go against the prosect of Ackles being cast as the DCU's Batman for The Brave and The Bold, it's worth noting that Gunn's caveat about the script does leave the possibility open for the actor to end up in the role when the release reaches the point where characters are actually cast. However, with the current focus being on impending projects like Creature Commandos, Superman, and Supergirl: The Woman Of Tomorrow for the time being, it's understandable that any potential Batman casting won't be for some time, especially with the DCU Arkham Asylum series being canceled.

When looking at the chances of the DCU bringing Jensen Ackles in for The Brave and The Bold and onward, it's worth noting that the franchise's other central hero - that of Superman - saw DC choose a popular fancasting for the role, as David Corenswet was a much-discussed potential option for a live-action Superman. With this in mind, the fact that Gunn is aware of the Ackles rumors and thus the hype around the prospect of him being cast as Batman, it's certainly possible this will be capitalized on also in the DC Universe's future.