James Gunn defends “The Batman” sequel delay, says 5-year gap is 'fairly common'

The co-president of DC Studios cited other film franchises (such as "Alien" and "Avatar") to assuage fan concerns.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Everett James Gunn; Robert Pattinson in 'The Batman'

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Everett

James Gunn; Robert Pattinson in 'The Batman'

Now that The Batman sequel has been delayed until 2027, some fans have been worrying about the five-year gap between the first and second movies starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight. But DC Studios co-chief James Gunn has a history lesson to assuage those nerves.

"To be fair, a 5-year gap or more is fairly common in sequels," Gunn wrote on Threads. "7 years between Alien and Aliens. 14 years between Incredibles. 7 years between the first two Terminators. 13 years between Avatars. 36 years between Top Guns. And, of course, 6 years between Guardians Vol 2 and Vol 3."

All of the figures Gunn cites are correct. However, it's worth noting that many of the movies he mentions were not made with an assumption that sequels would be forthcoming. Aliens wasn't just made seven years after Alien, it was also done by a different director (something Ridley Scott has recently complained about) and shifted genres from horror to action. When The Incredibles hit theaters in 2004, Pixar had only made one sequel; the next one took another six years.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

In the age of interconnected superhero franchise films, sequels come with greater speed. Only three years elapsed between Batman Begins (the first of director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale's DC trilogy) and The Dark Knight. If The Batman's follow-up gets delayed again (it's already happened twice), the gap could approach the seven-year space between Batman Begins and its threequel, The Dark Knight Rises.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related: Creature Commandos star Frank Grillo enjoys DC more than Marvel: ‘It's so much more personal'

The six years between Gunn's own Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 and last year's Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 is also a little misleading as a comparison. The titular protagonists of those movies appeared in three other Marvel Cinematic Universe films (Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder) in between Gunn's films. By contrast, Pattinson's Batman has yet to appear in anything but The Batman. Even The Penguin's season finale only teased his eventual arrival with a last-minute Bat-Signal.

The Penguin likely contributed to the delay, since major talent from The Batman (including star Colin Farrell and director Matt Reeves) were heavily involved. The recent HBO series followed Farrell's Oz Cobb rising to the top of Gotham City's criminal underworld in the wake of The Batman's catastrophic events. Showrunner Lauren LeFranc told Entertainment Weekly that "we are the bridge between the two films."

Related: Gotham's heir apparent: The Penguin star Cristin Milioti breaks down Sofia Falcone's Arkham-induced breakdown

The gap between The Batman movies may also have to do with figuring out exactly how Gunn's new DC universe works. The adult animated series Creature Commandos is the first project since Gunn and producer Peter Safran took over DC Studios last year, but everyone knows the real debut will be 2025's big-screen epic Superman. How Superman fares at the box office will likely determine whether Pattinson's Bruce Wayne will be incorporated into the same world as David Corenswet's Clark Kent, or if he's allowed to keep blazing his own trail.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly