--- title: "James Gunn Slams AI-Generated Batman" description: "Director James Gunn quipped in a Threads post that \"it would be weird to cast an AI Batman with a 14 inch arm.\"" date: "2025-09-14" modified: "2025-09-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/james-gunn-slams-ai-generated-batman" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai image generators" - "batman" - "generative ai" - "warner bros" --- # James Gunn Slams AI-Generated Batman ![Director James Gunn quipped in a Threads post that "it would be weird to cast an AI Batman with a 14 inch arm."]() *\Image: DC Studios / Futurism\* As generative AI slop is threatening to [turn Hollywood on its head](), not everybody in the industry is enthusiastic about the tech. In a hilarious counter to a fan's AI-generated image of actor Brandon Sklenar dressed as the DC Comics' Batman, DC Studios filmmaker and "Superman" director James Gunn [quipped in a Threads post]() that "it would be weird to cast an AI Batman with a 14 inch arm." Gunn was alluding to the AI-generated Batman's unnaturally short appendages, pointing out the AI's failure to account for perspective. "At least we can rest easy knowing the DCU’s Batman won’t be AI-generated," a different Threads account [added](). ![]() The news comes just days after entertainment conglomerate Warner Bros Discovery, which distributes the blockbuster "The Dark Knight" trilogy and 2022's "The Batman," [sued AI image generator company Midjourney]() over facilitating mass copyright infringement. Basically, Warner Bros says the startup is letting its users create AI-generated images and videos of its copyrighted characters — much like the image Gunn was responding to. As [*SuperHeroHype* points out](), fans have increasingly been floating Sklenar's name for portraying DC Studios' next iteration of Batman. However, the studio has yet to make any announcement about who will put on the mask as the successor to actor Robert Pattinson, who will be starring in the sequel to "The Batman" next year. The use of generative AI in cinema has turned into a highly contentious topic as people employed in the entertainment industry continue to worry about the tech making them redundant. Big-name actors, directors, and filmmakers, [including Sean Penn](), [Guillermo del Toro](), and [Steven Spielberg]() have publicly opposed the use of AI in Hollywood. "I don't want AI making any creative decisions that I can't make myself," Spielberg [told *Reuters*]() in June. "And I don't want to use AI as a non-human collaborator, in trying to work out my creative thinking." But that hasn't stopped the filmmaking industry from embracing the tech. Case in point, ChatGPT maker OpenAI [announced this past week]() that it's teaming up production companies in London and Los Angeles to create a feature-length animated movie made largely with artificial intelligence. However, given Gunn's latest remarks, it's unlikely we'll see an AI-generated Batman gracing the silver screen any time soon. And fans are elated at his dismissal of the idea. "Love how he makes fun of these people," one user on the DCU subreddit [wrote](). "That's some grade A premium snark," another user [added](). **More on Warner Bros.:** *[Midjourney Is in Major Trouble]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()