Few DC Comics superheroes have had as long—or successful—careers on the big screen as Batman has. The Caped Crusader first appeared in live-action on the big screen in 1943 and has maintained a large presence in the superhero film genre ever since. Alongside Superman and Spider-Man, he is one of the very few Marvel or DC heroes who has succeeded in starring in multiple live-action film series over the years.
His onscreen history is about to begin a new era. James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios, announced that the DC Universe (DCU) is looking for a new actor to portray Batman in a live-action film titled The Brave and the Bold. Additionally, Robert Pattinson will continue to portray Batman in Matt Reeve’s separate Batverse. This means we’ll have two separate streams of Batman content shortly.
To prepare for the next waves of Batman films, here’s a look at Batman’s expansive film history.
Every live-action Batman film in chronological order
Since Batman’s film debut in 1943, there have been a total of 14 live-action Batman films. There have been two very early film serials, a pre-Warner Bros. feature film, a trilogy, a tetralogy, three DCEU films, and one standalone Batverse film. Of these films, nearly all of them have featured Batman as the sole protagonist. In Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, he shared the screen with Henry Cavill’s Superman but was still one of the deuteragonists. Meanwhile, even though both versions of Justice League feature many heroes, they are still often considered Batman movies since Batman is the leader of the Justice League. Here is every Batman film in order of release date:
Batman (1943)
Batman and Robin (1949)
Batman (1966)
Batman (1989)
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman & Robin (1997)
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Justice League (2017)
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
The Batman (2022)
The Batman 2 (2025)
The Brave and the Bold (TBA)
The pre-Warner Bros. era (1943-1966)
The Batman films in the pre-Warner Bros. era are:
Batman (1943)
Batman and Robin (1949)
Batman (1966)
Warner Bros. acquired DC Comics in 1969, gaining the right to use DC characters in film and TV. Hence, the vast majority of Batman films come from Warner Bros., but there were a few early attempts to adapt Batman before the studio scooped up the right. In 1943, Columbia Pictures made history by producing the first live-action Batman film. Batman (1943) was a 15-part black-and-white film serial starring Lewis Wilson as Batman. The film achieved enough success to spurn a sequel film serial, Batman and Robin, four years later. Both inspired the 1966 live-action Batman TV series with Adam West. After the show’s first season, it received a spin-off film, Batman (1966), which became the first-ever feature-length Batman film.
Warner Bros. original Batman film series (1989-1997)
The films in Warner Bros.’ original Batman film series are:
Batman (1989)
Batman Returns (1992)
Batman Forever (1995)
Batman & Robin (1997)
By 1989, Warner Bros. was ready to make its first attempt at bringing Batman to the big screen. Batman (1989) is often considered the first modern Batman film. With Michael Keaton in the lead role of Batman and the film boasting a nearly $50 million budget, Batman brought the hero to the screen in a much more sophisticated, dark, and believable manner. After proving to be a major financial success, Batman spurned three more films. However, Keaton departed after the sequel Batman Returns and was replaced by Val Kilmer in Batman Forever. George Clooney took over for the final film Batman & Robin, which proved to be a massive critical failure and didn’t live up to box office expectations, resulting in Warner Bros. concluding the series.
The Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012)
The films in The Dark Knight trilogy are:
Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
By the early 2000s, Warner Bros. was ready to take another stab at Batman, hiring Christopher Nolan to direct Batman Begins. Nolan sought to reinvent Batman on screen once again, as the original Batman film series did. He rebooted the franchise and began with the origin story of Batman and put Christian Bale in the leading role. It was far grander in scale than any Batman film yet and boasted exciting visual effects and action. However, it was also dark and brooding, diving deep into the psychology and essence of Batman. Batman Begins was followed by two more successful films, making it one of the highest-grossing film trilogies of all time.
The DCEU (2016-2021)
The Batman films in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) are:
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Justice League (2017)
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
By 2011, Warner Bros. had kicked off its shared universe called the DC Extended Universe or DCEU. While the universe began with Superman, it didn’t take the studio long to bring in its other most iconic hero, Batman. Ben Affleck was hired to portray Batman in the DCEU and made his debut in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film made a moderate profit at the box office but received mostly negative reviews. Batman returned prominently in Justice League and the film’s director’s cut, Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Unfortunately, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League were both panned by critics, and the latter was a box office flop.
Matt Reeves’ Batverse (2022-present)
The Batman films in Matt Reeves’ Batverse are:
The Batman (2022)
The Batman 2 (2025)
The Batman was initially supposed to be a DCEU film starring Affleck. When these plans fell through, it became a standalone film directed by Matt Reeves, starring Robert Pattinson as Batman. Following its success, Reeves began to develop his own Batverse as a separate universe from the DCU. The Batman delved into Batman’s detective side and also proved to be one of the most brooding and dark Batman films. It went over well with audiences, and now The Batman 2 will hit theaters on October 3, 2025.
The DCU (TBA)
The Batman films in the DCU are:
The Brave and the Bold (TBA)
So far, Gunn has confirmed one solo Batman film for his and Peter Safran’s new DCU, and it is The Brave and the Bold. The film will be the first live-action film to feature Batman and his biological son, Damian Wayne (a.k.a. Robin). Gunn also hinted that there would be a whole Bat-family in the DCU, making us think The Brave and the Bold may be the beginning of Batman’s stint in the DCU.
(featured image: Warner Bros.)
