DC Studios CEO James Gunn may have found a director in DCEU’s Batman star Ben Affleck to tackle The Brave and the Bold. A new report claims the Justice League star is “planning” to direct the standalone DCU title which focuses on introducing a new Dark Knight for Chapter 1’s Gods and Monsters while showcasing the Bat family, which includes centering over Damien Wayne, Bruce Wayne’s son.

DC Studios may have found a project for Ben Affleck after all. The Air Filmmaker was one of the few creatives to be approached by Warner Bros. executives during the formation of their multimedia franchise, with Gunn & Peter Safran hoping for the two-time Oscar winner to helm a DCU project.

The Report comes from Above the Line which claims to have heard that Ben Affleck was planning to direct The Brave and the Bold after his discussion with DC Studios CEOs. But some fans were quick to point out an earlier statement from Gunn where he says Affleck was not involved in The Brave and the Bold.

James Gunn responds to The Brave and the Bold report but also clarifies “I didn’t want to be the sole CEO of DC”

After an individual accused the DCU architect of lying to the fandom, James Gunn responded to the article that “I’ve never once lied to the fans” clarifying his decisions to tackle Superman and taking up the “creative side” of DC only after WB offered the job “to me AND Peter I said yes”. Readers can check out the tweets below.

For years it’s been my commitment to the fans that I will never lie to them… and I never have. I’d be very curious about what it is you think I’ve lied about.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 2, 2023

Neither of those were lies. I was offered Superman but did Squad instead. A few years later I saw how to tackle Superman & took it on. I didn’t want to be the sole CEO of DC, but when they came & offered it to me AND Peter I said yes because I could focus on the creative side.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 2, 2023

Again, I’ve never once lied to the fans, and never will. That doesn’t mean I’m never going to change my mind about anything.

— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) March 2, 2023

The rumor will remind veteran DCEU fans of the time when Affleck was attached to pen, direct and star in his solo Batman feature. The standalone would have explored the caped crusader’s encounter with Joe Manganiello‘s Deathstroke and the consequences of that story potentially playing out in a Justice League 2.

Sadly, the hurdles that came post 2017’s Justice League not only made Ben lose interest in directing the DCEU project but the actor altogether exited the role. Batfleck’s last outing will be showcased this year in The Flash while the dying movement to see his iteration explored in a separate Elseworld franchise like the Reevesverse fades away.

The Brave and the Bold currently does not have a director nor a writer attached with its release date TBA. Though if all goes well behind the scenes, there’s a possibility for DC Studios to unveil their plans alongside directors at the CinemaCon presentation.