James Gunn's The Brave And The Bold Film For The DCU Will Likely Have Nightwing Fans Upset

Batman is one of the best-known superheroes around, and because of his sheer popularity, there's been a ridiculous amount of movie versions of Batman over the years. According to Peter Safran and James Gunn's new announcements of the DC Universe's future (via Jenna Busch of /Film), we're about to have yet another one. Apart from Robert Pattinson's ongoing bat-career in the form of "Batman 2," the DCU is about to feature a fresh take on the character in a movie called "The Brave and the Bold." 

Based on the title, the movie will draw inspiration from the comparatively light-hearted Batman animated series and comic of the same name. This is actually pretty clever because that way, Pattinson's Batman can be the brooding, realistic one, while this as-yet-unannounced Batman can take care of the more outlandish, comic book-y aspects of the character. As befits the theme, "The Brave and the Bold" will also feature Robin ... but unfortunately, the way the movie approaches the crime-fighting duo's dynamic will likely disappoint fans of longtime bat-family member Nightwing. 

The big kicker in "The Brave and the Bold" is that while it does feature a Robin, the version of the character will be Bruce Wayne's flesh-and-blood son, Damian Wayne. He's a relatively late addition to Batman lore, and the fifth major Robin after Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and "The Dark Knight Return's" Carrie Kelley. The fact that the movie will focus on him heavily implies that there's next to no focus on the first Robin, Dick Grayson — who eventually grew up and became Nightwing. 

Grayson hasn't made an appearance in Batman movies since 1997's "Batman & Robin," in which he was played by Chris O'Donnell. While that movie is decidedly not the best piece of cinema out there, the character's still an instrumental part of Batman lore. Fans have been teased with talk of a potential DC "Nightwing" movie for quite a while now, and while the character plays a central role in "Titans" (where he's played by Brenton Thwaites), he's yet to be seen on the big screen. 

Are we once again witnessing tragic Dick Grayson erasure, or will "The Brave and the Bold" pull a rabbit out of the hat by introducing Nightwing as a superhero in his own right? It remains to be seen, but it seems pretty certain that the movie will largely skip over Grayson's time as Robin.

Of course, it's always possible that Gunn and Safran are merely saving Mr. Grayson for the other leg of DC's Bat-movies. "The Batman" includes a Nightwing Easter egg, so who knows? Maybe Pattinson's Batman acquires a surprising partner in "Batman 2."