Back in the early days of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s appointment as the new chiefs of DC Studios, it was revealed that screenwriter Matthew Orton (Moon Knight) had been tapped to write a script for a team-up movie focussing on the supervillains Deathstroke and Bane, and now it seems the project is closing in on its director.
According to Deadline, Superbad and Keeping Up with the Joneses helmer Greg Mottola has emerged as the front-runner to direct the film; primarily known for his comedy work, including the new Peacock series The Miniature Wife with Elizabeth Banks, Mottola does already have experience in the new DC Universe, having directed two episodes of the second season of James Gunn’s Peacemaker.
Deadline’s report goes on to state that while Mottola tops the shortlist for the director’s chair on the film, a deal is yet to be made and other candidates are still believed to be in the mix, with The Hot Mic’s Jeff Sneider suggesting that Hardcore Henry and Nobody’s Ilya Naishuller is also among the contenders. The project is also expected to undergo a rewrite once a director is appointed.
Should the as-yet-untitled team-up move forward, Bane will become the second Batman villain to headline a feature in the rebooted DC Universe, with the horror-tinged Clayface set to open in October of this year as the third movie of the new DCU following last year’s Superman and June’s upcoming Supergirl. Meanwhile, Gunn is also now in production on his Superman follow-up Man of Tomorrow, and outside of the shared DCU continuity, Matt Reeves has also just started filming The Batman Part II, both of which are slated to release in 2027.
