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In 2011 DC Comics published Batman: The Court of Owls, a storyline which changed everything readers (and the Dark Knight himself) thought they knew about Gotham City. The Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo comic introduced a secret society, which had been operating in the shadows for generations. Even Batman had dismissed the group as an urban myth, but the Dark Knight soon discovered how far-reaching (and dangerous) the Court was.

The storyline was popular, becoming one of the most consequential Batman stories in years. It wasn’t long before the Court of Owls made their way to DC’s extended media. The Court of Owls have been seen in the Gotham Knights video game, Fox’s Gotham, Max’s Harley Quinn, the CW’s Gotham Knights, and more.

Could a live-action film be next? During an appearance at CCXP 2024, Batman writer James Tynion IV was asked if the Court of Owls could work in a Batman movie. Tynion answered, giving his thoughts about what the filmmakers would need to keep in mind.

“The Court of Owls are Scott’s baby. I’ve had a chance to put my own mark on some of the aspects of building out that world, but Scott [Snyder] and Greg [Capullo] built this beautiful iconography of the owl mask and then the Talon design.”

“It was immediately this durable part of the mythos because it was attacking Bruce on the sense that – it needs to come later in Batman’s mythology, because he thinks he knows the city inside and out. And then he finds out that something he thought was just a fairy tale, something that was just an urban legend, that he had written off, he had done research into and was like, this doesn’t exist. Then he finds out that it’s real and it’s after him after he has already grown up and become Batman.”

“It’s the idea that Gotham City can still challenge you and surprise you no matter how well you think you know it, because Gotham is a city that is always sharpening Batman. Because Gotham is a fictional concept. Gotham is the vehicle by which you put Batman through a gauntlet. And that’s me echoing things that Scott has said before, but I think the core of a really good Court of Owls story.”

Given the Court’s popularity, it’s only a matter of time before the storyline is adapted for a movie. When it happens, I hope DC Studios remembers Tynion’s words.  

Enjoy our guides to how to watch the recent DCEU, the Arrowverse, and James Gunn's upcoming DCU.