James Gunn says the Matt Reeves Arkham Asylum show is in the DCU

Barry Keoghan as Joker in The Batman deleted scene
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

It seems that Matt Reeves's Arkham Asylum show will actually be in the DCU, rather than the same universe as The Batman, according to DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn

Arkham Asylum originally seemed to be a spin-off of Reeves's 2022 movie The Batman, which is in its own, separate universe to both the DCEU – which is soon coming to an end with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – and the DCU, which is set to launch in 2024 with animated show Creature Commandos. 

"Right now Matt is producing Arkham as a DCU series, so there's just the two for now," Gunn told a fan on Threads of Reeves-verse projects – the two he's referring to are The Batman 2 and the Penguin TV show. 

Gunn also cleared up some questions about the project, clarifying that "it wasn't changed" from the Reeves-verse to the DCU, explaining: "It was one of the first pitches we bought when Peter and I came onboard. I don't know the permutations it went through before that time" 

He also said that Reeves would be working across both universes: "We love Matt as a director and producer so he'll be producing stories both within his The Batman universe and within the DCU." 

There are no plot details on the Arkham Asylum show just yet, though we can of course assume it will feature some of those iconic Batman villains. There is a Batman movie coming to the DCU, titled The Brave and the Bold and directed by The Flash helmer Andy Muschietti. The Arkham show and that movie are most likely linked, then, though it remains to be seen for now. 

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives this December 22. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming DC movies and TV shows for everything else on the way. 

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Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.