If there’s one superhero movie that’s been highly anticipated by fans, it’s The Batman: Part II. Matt Reeves’ long-gestating sequel to his acclaimed 2022 superhero movie was announced that same year and, since then, there have been multiple delays. The production took a major step forward this year when production kicked off in the UK in June, with set photos even surfacing in May beforehand. Now, however, the film has been delayed again and, at this point, I have a concern regarding the DCU.

The Batman: Part II Gets Delayed Again

Warner Bros. has reportedly made some changes to its release slate and, as a result, The Batman: Part II has been impacted. The Robert Pattinson-led movie was most recently set to open in theaters on October 1, 2027 but, now, it won’t hit cinemas until February 18, 2028, according to Deadline. The Bat flick’s October slot is now being occupied by J.J. Abrams’ The Great Beyond, which stars Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega. As of this writing, a precise reason for the changes has yet to be provided.

Initially, Batman: Part II was set to be released on October 3, 2025 though, due to the Hollywood strikes, it was shifted to October 2, 2026. Then came the third delay, and that’s what put the movie within the October 1, 2027 slot. Amid this latest change, Reeves did treat fans to a BTS treat in the form of a camera test, similar to the clip that revealed Pattinson’s Batsuit back in 2020. Check out the new b-roll via Reeves’ Instagram post:

The clip does, at the very least, give audiences a tiny taste of Batman’s latest outing, which will take place during the winter time. However, I’m just still considering the greater ramifications that this release date change could have.

Why I Have A DCU-Centric Concern After This Delay

Aside from the evidently annoying fact that there’s been another delay, there’s also a greater issue to consider here. It’s well known that James Gunn’s DCU continuity is set to introduce its own Dark Knight at some point, and Gunn has been adamant about putting a lot of space between releases featuring that Bat and Pattinson’s. So, with this recent delay to Reeves’ movie, it’s hard not to consider that it could potentially push back the debut of the newest Caped Crusader.

It was announced in 2023 that the DCU’s Batman and Robin would star in The Brave and the Bold, which would be directed by The Flash’s Andy Muschietti. Updates on the movie have been few and far between in the years since it was announced. James Gunn has spoken more generally about not wanting to rush out this new Batman, though, as he wants to take his time with the Bat. And, as far as an actor goes, no one’s been revealed, but Tom Brittney recently played coy when asked about possibly playing the role.

Overall, all of this is speculation on my part, and it’s possible that fans could still see the DCU’s Bruce Wayne suit up sooner rather than later. Yet I’m not exactly going to hold my breath for that. For now, I’m just going to try to reckon with the fact that fans like myself are going to have to wait even longer for the next chapter in Matt Reeves’ Gotham City-based saga. I’m optimistic that it’ll be great, but that notion makes the idea of waiting all the more difficult.

While you wait for The Batman: Part II to arrive, grab an HBO Max subscription to stream the original as well as The Penguin, a spinoff limited series.

While I usually hate feeling as if time is going by too quickly, I can take comfort in knowing it’s all leading to the upcoming DC movie The Batman: Part II, so no time has technically been wasted. (I live in denial a bunch.) Production on the 2027 theatrical release kicked off in June, but many cast and character questions remain unanswered. Is Sebastian Stan really playing Harvey Dent and Two-Face? Is Scarlett Johansson a key piece of the Long Halloween adaptation game? Will we see The Joker?

Unsurprisingly, director Matt Reeves kept mum about new and established roles when confirming the film’s actors, and it was a noteworthy exclusion when Barry Keoghan’s name wasn’t listed in the lineup. Though not a “star” of the first film, the Irish actor made a quick and lasting impact from his minimal time on-screen as “Unseen Arkham Prisoner,” and talks about his return were among the first rumors sparked by the impending sequel. So what’s the deal?

A Warner Bros. Event May Have Spilled The Joker Beans

WB execs were on hand in France around July 4 weekend for Studio Show 2026 to promote the studio's slate of upcoming movies, from Tom Cruise's Digger to Dune: Part 3 to animated projects like Hello Kitty and Margie Claus. Obviously, the topic of DC-sourced adaptations came up, such as Man of Tomorrow and Dynamic Duo, and Clayface. But this detail reported by BoxOfficePro is definitely worth bringing up, since Keoghan is one of the key names mentioned in the French report. Here's a translated iteration:

No mention of James Gordon actor Jeffrey Wright or Penguin portrayer Colin Farrell, but Keoghan is just right there in front, ahead of Alfred's actor Andy Serkis. I of course get throwing ScarJo and Stan in there for extra hype, and maybe it's a case where Keoghan has a huge following in France, and so the outlet wanted to play into that, without this being directly related to billing order.

The Saltburn actor himself has been cagey when addressing a potential return as The Joker, which has only helped to make the return seem more likely. But given just the elements that we know about thus far, it's not entirely clear how The Joker would factor into what will assumedly be Two-Face's origin tale. (It's not like Reeves is going to ape Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight, amirite?) So I can't imagine it'll be a very prominent part, and will possibly just lay additional groundwork for a grander takeover in a third Batman movie. Or not.

Whatever fans might hope to see, note that the actor is as busy as busy can be, in large part because he's portraying musical icon Ringo Starr for Sam Mendes' The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event, which reportedly started filming in March. It'll likely take well over a year for the movie quartet to be filmed, though it's obviously possible that Keoghan worked out scheduling details with Reeves and Mendes that would allow him to film Joker scenes without imminent Ringo sequences to appear in.

For now, the actor’s fans can see him in action in two 2026 movie releases to date: Crime 101 opposite Chris Hemsworth (currently streaming via Amazon Prime subscription) and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (currently streaming via Netflix subscription).

While comic book fans can still look forward to one upcoming DC movie hitting theaters in 2026 — James Watkins’ creepy Clayface — we’re still sadly a ways off from reconnecting with Matt Reeves’ Gotham City. That said, The Batman: Part II is filming, and Reeves surprised the fandom by officially confirming some of the new and returning actors starring in the sequel. But no such confirmations were made regarding the new additions’ characters.

Obviously Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne and other established Gothamites will be back for the second feature, but what of the latest recruits: Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Charles Dance, Brian Tyree Henry and Sebastian Koch? Here’s a basic look at what roles fans are thinking these actors are set for, based in part on pre-confirmation rumors.

On the one hand, the assumptions above all make a certain amount of sense, in that none of the speculation seems bizarrely over the top. If someone was trying to say Scar-Jo is actually playing The Joker's daughter, that would be a tad too far for me to buy into it. But on the surface, everything above tracks.

So why didn't Matt Reeves go all the way by confirming each of the roles that the new actors will be taking on? Even if he was intent on keeping Henry and Koch's roles under wraps, surely it would have made sense to the filmmaker to give fans a bone by validating all the predictions and assumptions about the Dent family's casting. Maybe it's because we've been wrong this whole time.

Rumor Suggests Batman Part II Castings Aren't For Roles We Think

The second Reeves' posts started spreading without any specific corroboration about the roles Stan, Johansson and others were playing, I started to think that something was fishy about it all. And I'm not just talking about Oz Cobb's B.O.

Those pangs of disbelief were seemingly justified when noted Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider shared a possible inside scoop on the latest episode of The Hot Mic shared to YouTube. There, Sneider revealed the grain-of-salt update from one of his sources who claimed that the current casting assumptions are off-base.

Sebastian Stan's Role

The insider says Stan is set to play a villain that isn't Two-Face, but doesn't indicate what the role actually is (allegedly). That would absolutely make sense for why the actor has been bulking up recently, since there isn't much of a reason for Stan to bring his muscles to swole levels to play a lawyer. Getting half of one's face/body gnarled up by acid isn't a fast track to buff-dom, and though Two-Face has never been depicted as a weakling, he handles his problems via guns and henchmen, not fistfights.

Given Stan and Robert Pattinson's similar ages (43 and 40, respectively), a lot of fans (like myself) have been holding out hopes that the MCU star is joining Reeves' Bat-verse as Tommy Elliot, otherwise known as the mega-villain Hush. The Batman linked the Elliot family to the Waynes' murders, and The Penguin gave insight into Gotham City's Elliot Bridge and its namesakes. It'd be weird to lay out that groundwork with no payoff in Part II, but we obviously can't say for sure just yet where it's going.

Charles Dance's Role

The other claim made in the grain-of-salt email sent to Jeff Sneider is that Game of Thrones vet Charles Dance will be playing the father of Scarlett Johansson's character. Which one could take in several ways, especially if one believes Stan is playing Hush. So let's take a big swing here.

This switcheroo detail doesn't necessarily negate the previous belief that Dance is playing the father of the District Attorney who becomes Two-Face. It does, however, set up the idea that the Black Widow star could be portraying a gender-swapped version of Two-Face. Or maybe neither actor will be part of the live-action Dent family.

Scarlett Johansson's Role

If Scar-Jo isn't playing Gilda or a would-be Two-Face, could she be taking on the role of Andrea Beaumont, introduced as the titular vigilante in 1993's Batman: Mask of the Phantasm? That would probably get fans generally more pumped than a female Two-Face, especially if Dance would be locked in as Andrea's father Carl Beaumont.

I do still like the idea of Johansson playing The Long Halloween's take on Gilda Dent, given the sordid events that play out in that arc. But I wouldn't complain about seeing her as any of The Batman: Part II's villainous entities.

Sneider and host John Rocha also speculated about whether or not Brian Tyree Henry could be stealthily playing a race-swapped Harvey Dent and Two-Face, which sounds pretty fantastic to me. I'd take Henry as Batman as well. Or whatever role he wanted, really.

Hopefully we'll find out whether or not these speculation sessions were worthy of happening long before The Batman: Part II actually hits theaters on October 1, 2027.

Undoubtedly, when it comes to upcoming DC movies, there’s a ton of excitement about the sequel to The Batman starring Robert Pattinson after his take on the Caped Crusader became a quick favorite take on the hero. And after a long wait, production is finally kicking off ahead of its release date next year. Earlier this week, writer/director Matt Reeves shared a first look at what they’re working on, and fans have a lot of thoughts about one mysterious casting reveal.

On Wednesday, Reeves took to Twitter to introduce the cast of The Batman - Part II with a series of posts. It gave us our first look at who Scarlett Johansson is playing, along with official reveals that the likes of Sebastian Stan (who’s reportedly playing Harvey Dent), Brian Tyree Henry and Charles Dance are joining this time around. One particularly interesting casting update was the addition of German actor Sebastian Koch. A first look at the actor in character was posted, but fans have multiple ideas of who he could be playing. Check it out:

Matt Reeves wrote “Locked and loaded for Gotham… Welcome” with a look at Koch dramatically putting down a gun. The comment section is full of theories about who the actor could be playing, with one being Mr. Freeze, as you can see in the post above. It doesn’t seem like anyone can fully agree on which character he’ll be playing, though. As another fan wrote:

I don’t see this, but there were a few people throwing out the idea that Koch could be playing Jeremiah Arkham, a supervillain in the Batman comics, who’s the head of Arkham Asylum. Here’s another popular idea coming out of Twitter:

For some reason, fans are convinced Koch’s going to play a mad scientist? Hugo Strange is a villain who’s obsessed with Batman and his identity, and he is one of the few foes of his who actually figured out it's Bruce Wayne. Having Hugo Strange in The Batman - Part II definitely would go with the tone of Matt Reeves’ movie, but I’m most inclined to believe the theory I’ve been seeing the most around this reveal. Check out all these comments:

“HARVEY BULLOCK IS THAT YOU?” - @nightswayness

“Idk who this is but i hope he is playing Harvey Bullock” - @Columned

“yeah with that caption it's gotta be bullock” - @AxelTalksFilm

“Sebastian Koch playing Harvey Bullock and Sebastian Stan playing Harvey Dent is just perfect” - @GothamChief

“Bullock? Perhaps a totally new character.” - @BATMANONFILM

Harvey Bullock is a GCPD officer who is a loyal, albeit cynical, ally to Commissioner Gordon. He’s often portrayed as a dirty cop who doesn’t trust Batman. This first look definitely gives those vibes, but we’ll have to wait and see to learn who Koch is actually playing.

Who knows, all of these could be totally wrong! But no matter what, I'm sure Matt Reeves has a good plan in place, and we'll get to see his vision brought to life when the movie hits theaters on October 1, 2027.

Director Matt Reeves continues to share images from The Batman: Part II, and now we have our first look at Scarlett Johansson in her mysterious role. The internet has its guesses, and it looks like they've settled on her playing the spouse of an iconic Batman rogue.

As big names like Sebastian Stan are attached to this upcoming superhero movie, fans think they've cracked the code on Johannson's part in the DC movie. Take a look below at who many believe is Gilda Dent:

For those who may not be familiar, Gilda Dent is the wife of Harvey Dent. Her story is all over the place amongst her various appearances in DC Comics. The common thread is that her loyalty to her husband, even after his transformation into Two Face, is unwavering.

Keep in mind, none of this is confirmed. That said, there's plenty of chatter online about Scarlett Johansson's role. For the time being, it seems there's a small army of people convinced she's playing Gilda:

• That’s gilda dent alright - @Mandevil23
• Scarlett Johansson saying 'I Believe in Harvey Dent' is gonna be so iconic - @_CinemaHub_
• LETS GOOOOOOO. WELCOME GILDA DENT 🙏🔥🦇 - @TheBatmanSagaNW
• Gilda Dent is here and I’m already terrified for Harvey. - @HashimKhanoo7
• Welcome to Gotham, Gilda This cast is stacking impossibly good. Can’t wait for the Dent family drama in Reeves’ world - @al_saudigirl

People seem pretty convinced, but again, we don't know this is for sure who Scarlett Johansson will be playing in The Batman: Part II. That said, her short dark hair does seem to match up with the comic panels that people are sharing online.

This latest look arrives as conversation continues about which villains will appear in The Batman: Part 2. We already know Colin Farrell is back as Penguin, and many believe Sebastian Stan is playing Harvey Dent. There's also whispers of Barry Keoghan appearing as Joker, and the general snow theme surrounding the movie has people wondering if Mr. Freeze may show up as well.

All this to say, adding Scarlett Johansson on top of every other big name that is in the movie is wild. The Batman: Part II is not hurting for talented actors, and I wonder if a role like Gilda Dent could be too small for someone of Johansson's caliber in Hollywood. She has experience in the MCU as a superhero, so maybe her role could be closer tied to something like that?

We still have a long time to find out for sure, as The Batman: Part II is not showing up in theaters until October 1st, 2027. I'm curious to see how much we learn about all of these characters in the lead-up to the next adventure, and if this movie sets the stage for another follow-up.

It feels like a lifetime since The Batman came out and Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves set the world on fire with their take on the Caped Crusader, but the movie only came out in 2022. I think it's more a sign of how desperate I am to see The Batman: Part II, so I'm thankful that Reeves has finally shared the first images from the anticipated sequel.

Amidst the critical success of The Penguin, Pattinson is hyping up audiences about the upcoming big swings the sequel will take, and teases about The Joker, we now have official photos from the set. Reeves shared some camera shots of cars driving in the snow, which isn't much, but it has me hype all the same:

It's snowing in Gotham City in The Batman: Part II, which already gives me Batman Returns vibes. I would love another Batman movie that takes place around Christmas, though snow can obviously come both before and after the holiday.

Snow draws obvious comparisons to iconic Batman villain Mr. Freeze, who was infamously played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the flop Batman & Robin. There's been a lot of speculation that Victor Fries might appear, and fans have a lot of ideas about who could play the character. I'm not 100% convinced we'll see him, though with snow being a part of the story I wouldn't suspect someone like Poison Ivy is going to take center stage in this adventure.

Penguin is also another villain with ties to the cold, and given the success of his series (available to stream with an HBO Max subscription). He's going to appear in The Batman: Part II, but told THR that he expected his role to be role in the movie to be smaller. I guess they need to save screentime for if they can convince Colin Farrell to get back in those prosthetics for The Penguin Season 2, which I'd love to see.

Ultimately, we're still largely in the dark about many details concerning The Batman: Part II, but that feels right given we're still over a year out from its release. Hopefully we'll get a teaser, poster, or some other details before the end of this month, though, because I'm getting even more eager to see this movie after two shots of cars driving in the snow. Is that weird? Absolutely, but those who get it don't need any further explanation.

The Batman: Part II is coming out in October 2027, and I'm sure it'll be a hit for DC and get everyone hype yet again about seeing Batman in live-action. I'm eager to see what's on the way, as well as what may come after.

Like many other Batman fanatics out there, I’m not exactly over the moon knowing the entirety of 2026 will pass without the Caped Crusader showing up in live-action. (2025 at least had Jason Bateman in the Batsuit, for better or worse.) Without any clear answers about when James Gunn will bring Bruce Wayne into the DCU, the only port to look forward to in this dismal storm is Matt Reeves’ long-awaited sequel The Batman: Part II. Updates have been slow-going but co-writer Mattson Tomlin’s latest comments sent my optimism soaring.

Tomlin has already been quite busy on social media in the aftermath of Netflix cancelling Terminator Zero after one season, which he’s been refreshingly candid and open-minded about, both with his own thoughts and in replies to followers. That same level of earnestness was reflected in his comments about efforts made when scripting The Batman’s sequel with Reeves (which he's getting credit for this time). As he put it on X:

Comments like those are exactly what fans should hope to hear from the minds concocting this and any other IP-driven scripts. Plus, Mattson Tomlin can somewhat uniquely boast having previously told an excellent Batman story outside of these movies. He wrote DC Black Label’s excellent Batman: The Imposter, with his dark and gritty story capitalized on by artist Andrea Sorrentino and colorist Jordie Bellaire. So I can both believe and believe in Tomlin’s comments, since he’s got a vested interest that speaks to more than box office receipts.

(He also wrote and directed 2012's darkly comedic thriller Solomon Grundy, but that was about an invisible friend that won't go away, and wasn't a before-its-time DC villain movie.)

Bringing in a billion dollars at the box office will likely be the easiest way for Warner Bros. to greenlight another movie in this side-verse for Tomlin to potentially take on, so that’s certainly part of the “bar” that he hopes this follow-up film leaps over in a single bound. (Wait, wrong guy.) After a five-year wait, Matt Reeves could have co-written The Batman: Part II with Guy Fieri and fans would turn up in droves, but the added talents of someone on Tomlin’s level could be what gets those fans back for second and third screenings.

The Project Power creator also shared this excitement-stoking declaration, saying:

How often does anyone in the film industry say, "I tried my best," at this point without immediately qualifying that statement with a dozen other points? And within that number, how many of them are being honest? It's impossible to know, and it'd be silly to try and figure it out. Instead, I'm gonna put a Flying Graysons-amount of faith in the sentiment that The Batman: Part II won't let any of us fall to our deaths. Er, our disappointments, rather.

The Batman: Part II will (hopefully) swoop menacingly into theaters on October 1, 2027, presumably after several more Batman-free movies from James Gunn’s DCU are released, from Supergirl to Clayface. Anybody else kinda hoping Sony & Co. call Tomlin up to hear out his Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie pitch regardless of how Bats does?

Regardless of how many upcoming superhero movies are on the way, the biggest chunk of my focus is squarely drawn to any and all updates about Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II, which are now thankfully beginning to surface with something resembling frequency. Following the jaw-dropping news in December that Scarlett Johansson is being courted to Gotham City, a new report points to one of the actress’ former Marvel Cinematic Universe co-stars is also set to bounce from one comic book franchise to the next.

This is a big one, too, as Variety reports the Oscar-nominated Sebastian Stan is currently in talks to join Johansson and Robert Pattinson in the highly anticipated sequel that sadly won’t be among other 2026 movie releases. If this news is legit — this outlet certainly has a better track record than social media-based leakers — it’s another huge pull for Reeves & Co. on the casting front, and one can only imagine what role he’ll be playing in the upcoming DC movie.

Oh, let's go ahead and start up some of that imaginative guesswork right now! There's actually one role that seems more likely than any other at this point, though it's based on unconfirmed info. Reports surfaced in the past few days that Matt Reeves was casting for not just Harvey Dent, but also his villainous Two-Face persona. It's been expected that Dent would rise up in this sequel, though less clear whether or not he'd get to his signature coin flips already.

Obviously the timing of the reports plays a big part in connecting those dots, but how flipping awesome would it be to see Sebastian Stan in that iconic role? He's 100% smooth and domineering enough to pull off being a high-powered Gotham attorney, so he's got that look already down. Plus, he's also well-versed in donning a lot of specific prosthetics, as was the case for 2024's excellent dramedy thriller A Different Man. (That film co-starred Adam Pearson, the neurofibromatosis-diagnosed actor whose first role was in 2013's Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson. It's all connected!)

If Reeves doesn't tap Stan to play Two-Face, I think it would be awesome if he was introduced as Tommy Elliot, better known to comic fans as the legend-status villain Hush. This is more of a reach, but I'd speculated about The Penguin easter-egging the Elliot family into this canon by way of the name of the bridge connecting the different parts of town. It's not like there's a lack of "brown-haired white guy" villains in Batman's rogues gallery, but I think Stan would be a perfect Tommy in particular.

Sebastian Stan has been a core part of the MCU for years now, first appearing in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger and then ascending to the mainstage in the Winter Soldier sequel in 2014. He's appeared as Bucky in nine MCU films so far, with 2025 offering a double dose across Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*. He's reprised the role twice on the small screen, in live-action forThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier and in animated form for Marvel's What If...?

Stan isn’t even done with the MCU at this point, as he’ll return to the role of Bucky Barnes for even more action in the star-studded Avengers: Doomsday from Anthony and Joe Russo. It’s unconfirmed whether or not he’ll also be back for Secret Wars, but moving to Gotham City could be an indication that Bucky won’t survive Doctor Doom’s arrival.

The Batman: Part II is gearing up for a spring production ahead of its release set for October 2027.

The Batman Epic Crime Saga is more than just a film series starring Robert Pattinson as Gotham City’s Dark Knight. Last year, The Penguin pointed the spotlight on Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot for eight episodes and was rewarded for that effort with numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe win for Farrell and an Emmy win for Sofia Falcone actress Cristin Milioti. And as CinemaBlend recently learned, The Batman director Matt Reeves, who was among The Penguin’s executive producers, actually “liberated” the HBO show’s team in a key way that I’m sure contributed to its success.

During my conversation with production designer Kalina Ivanov about her work on Peacemaker Season 2 (including a wild fact about Earth-X’s Hitler mural), we also talked about her experience on The Penguin, which netted her an Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Television Movie or Limited Series. Here’s what Ivanov told me when I asked her how difficult a balance it was making sure that the locations in The Penguin looked similar to what we saw in The Batman, but still put a unique spin on them:

The Batman and The Penguin may take place in the same Gotham City, but logistics necessitated that the two projects film on different continents. Fortunately, that worked out just fine for Kalina Ivanov, because while there obviously needed to be some visual continuity, she was afforded enough freedom to put her own stamp on this version of Gotham. As the production designer continued to tell me, there was really two specific location from The Batman that needed to be replicated for The Penguin, with Ivanov saying the following about the one that means the most to Oz:

Kalina Ivanov mentions later in the interview that the interior Arkham was the other set from The Batman that was copied for The Penguin. Viewers spent time at the mental hospital during the Sofia Falcone-focused flashbacks in “Cent'Anni,” as well as in the finale when she was sent back there thanks to Oz’s cruel plotting. But otherwise, The Penguin prioritized delving into unexplored corners of Gotham City, and Ivanov welcomed the literal separation between filming locations to ensure that could do so and not feel like she was beholden to The Batman’s production design.

Although it’s still looking unlikely that The Penguin will return for Season 2, Colin Farrell will reprise Oz in The Batman: Part II, which is slated for October 1, 2027. Stream The Penguin and The Batman with your HBO Max subscription, and keep checking back with CinemaBlend for Part II updates as part of our ongoing upcoming DC movies coverage.

The superhero genre continues to be popular, resulting in a number of shared universes. But fans who have watched the DC movies in order will recall that Matt Reeves' The Batman (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription) is set in its own world. Colin Farrell plays The Penguin in that franchise, and recently teased the quality of Part II's mysterious script, going so far as to call it a "masterwork." Is it 2027 yet?

What we know about The Batman: Part II is extremely limited, as the cast only recently got a completed script. Fans are curious about the upcoming DC movie, which is being kept under wraps for the time being. Farrell recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he was asked about his reaction to the sequel's mysterious script. He praised Reeves' work, saying:

Honestly, the wait until we finally get to see this DC blockbuster feels much longer now. While The Penguin helped revive my interest in The Batman, it's still going to be a number of years before we see what Matt Reeves has up his sleeve. Although if Farrell's comments are to be believed and its his "masterwork", perhaps it'll be worth the long wait. Fingers crossed we get some information about its contents sooner rather than later.

The Penguin's finale teased the return of Robert Pattinson's Batman, who was noticeably missing throughout the spinoff series. Fans are even more invested in this version of Gotham City than before, which should hopefully buoy anticipation as we wait for the second film to finally hit theaters in a few years' time. During the same conversation, Colin Farrell hyped up what the title character of The Batman: Part II will be up to, offering:

Reeves definitely has his own take on The Dark Knight. Pattinson had limited time as Bruce Wayne in the first movie, instead remaining largely under the cape and cowl. I'm curious to see if this will continue in the next movie, or if perhaps we'll get more of the other side of this alter ego.

While fans are eager for any information regarding The Batman: Part II, it turns out that Farrell actually hd acce to its secrets for a while before we even cracked open the script. He wanted to be in the right state of mind to give back into the story, as he told it:

Honestly, my FOMO is through the roof. Even though I'm bummed Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone won't be in The Batman: Part II, it sounds like Matt Reeves has crafted an extremely specific and focused story for the sequel film. Colin Farrell is clearly impressed, and his passion for the DC flick seems genuine. It's just too bad that we'll have to wait so long.

The Batman: Part II is currently expected to arrive in theaters on October 1st, 2027. The next DC title on the big screen will be Supergirl on June 26th as part of the 2026 movie release list.

Since James Gunn and Peter Safran laid out their vision for Chapter One of the DCU, what we know about The Batman Part II has been scarce. With all the starts and stops, some fans wondered if a sequel would ever happen. Still, director Matt Reeves has dropped steady breadcrumbs about the upcoming DC movie. And, today, in honor of Batman Day, Reeves shared a lovely message and hype-stoking video. Holy Bat-flesh, I’m pumped!

Matt Reeves jumped on Instagram to celebrate and—more importantly—signal where The Batman Part II vibes are headed, sharing a clip of a live orchestra tearing into Michael Giacchino’s iconic theme from the first film. It’s a simple post, but the timing and the choice of music could give us a glimpse into the sequel’s pulse. The video was accompanied by this sweet caption from the director:

As cool as the musical tease is, Reeves didn’t spill any plot details for the upcoming superhero movie, add more fuel to the fire of villain rumors or share a set photo like all those Clayface behind-the-scenes leaks—just music. Still, sharing footage from that orchestra performance on Batman Day is definitely a nice touch. Check out the video:

For those who might not know, Batman Day is DC's annual celebration of the Caped Crusader, filled with special events, promotions, and fun activities across comics, games, and theaters. The date changes every year; it first kicked off on July 23, 2014, for Batman’s 75th birthday, and has since moved around (for instance, September 21, 2024, for his 85th). In 2025, DC Universe Online celebrated Batman Day with a two-week event from September 9 to 23, packed with themed missions and exclusive rewards. Theaters usually get in on the action too, offering encore screenings and other special treats.

I’ll be honest, hearing Giacchino’s score swell has me grabbing a bedsheet cape, standing on the edge of my mattress, and pretending I’m my bedroom’s watchful protector. Just me? OK, but, regardless, The Batman's score remains impeccable, and I can't wait to see what Giacchino cooks up for Part II.

Another exciting aspect of the project is that the Planet of the Apes veteran recently said prep is underway, and the sequel will push Bruce further while keeping this saga firmly in its own Elseworlds lane. The schedule’s been a journey, yes, but the target remains set. The movie won’t hit the 2026 movie schedule, but cameras will begin rolling, and the flick is slated to drop on October 1, 2027. That long runway makes the music tease feel purposeful—an “expect tone, not spoilers” kind of message that suits this take on the character.

Will we get meatier morsels soon? Matt Reeves all but promises it in the caption—“weeks and months to come” reads like a slow, stylish drip rather than a firehose of reveals. For now, the musical clip is enough, and I also appreciate that Reeves relishes the chance to oversee another chapter in the Dark Knight's cinematic mythos.

If you’re looking to celebrate Batman Day, you can revisit Matt Reeves’ first flick, The Batman (or any other of the incredible DC superhero flicks and TV shows) by streaming it with an HBO Max subscription.

The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, with a number of shared universes at play. But fans who have watched the DC movies in order will recall that a few franchises live outside of those constraints, including Matt Reeves' The Batman (which is streaming with a HBO Max subscription). The filmmaker recently explained why he's not focused on working on an upcoming DC movie set within the greater DCU... and his logic totally tracks.

What we know about The Batman: Part II is limited, as it's been delayed a number of times throughout the years. But fans are still invested, partly thanks to the Emmy-winning success of The Penguin. While speaking with Josh Horowitz at the Emmys, Reeves shared why he hasn't thought about joining the DCU at all. In his words:

Fair point. While plenty of moviegoers would like to see the Planet of the Apes filmmaker work co-CEO James Gunn's new DCU, he'd rather finish the story of The Batman first. I just have to wonder how long he intends on keeping Robert Pattinson's franchise going.

The first slate of projects in the DCU is titled Gods and Monsters, and Gunn has already released three very different titles: Creature Commandos, Superman, and Peacemaker Season 2. But we shouldn't expect Reeves to get in on this type of moviemaking. At least, not anytime soon.

If The Batman: Part II comes out in 2027 as currently planned, five whole years will have passed since the first one was in theaters. That's already a ton of time, an if Matt Reeves decides to make into a bonafide trilogy, who knows how long the story could continue? Add in the time The Batman lost due to the pandemic, and it's already been such a long journey.

Fans are definitely eager to see how Reeves' story will continue after The Batman's ending, which saw Gotham City put into chaos and included a cameo from Barry Keoghan's Joker. Add in all the drama that happened to Colin Farrell's title character in The Penguin, and there are plenty of narrative threads for the filmmaker to pull from in Part II. Unfortunately, Reeves confirmed Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone won't be included in the sequel.

Our questions will likely go unanswered for some time as The Batman: Part II isn't expected to hit theaters until October 1, 2027. At least Matt Reeves seems to have a clear vision for this burgeoning franchise.

The shadows over Gotham are thick with secrets, but the director of the upcoming The Batman Part II, Matt Reeves, just dropped enough of a breadcrumb to get Bat-fans drooling. Fresh off The Penguin’s Emmy wins, including a major honor for Cristin Milioti, the filmmaker took to the Emmys red carpet to tease what’s coming next for the Dark Knight. And according to him, we’re in for something unlike anything we’ve seen before. How are your bat-expectations? Because this longtime fan of the Cape Crusader is through the roof.

In a brief but telling interview shared by The Hollywood Reporter’s official YouTube channel, Reeves hinted at how the next chapter will push Bruce Wayne into unfamiliar territory. According to the Planet of the Apes veteran filmmaker:

It’s the kind of quote that drops like a smoke bomb, clearly hiding more than it reveals, but still tantalizing. Reeves also emphasized just how crucial secrecy is this time around, especially since the upcoming DC film leans harder into the detective elements that defined the first movie and its spinoff series set within the world of The Batman. The filmmaker continued:

It’s a refreshing stance in an era where leaks or set photos hit Reddit faster than Joker’s laughing gas–look no further than the Clayface movie, which has had a ton of set photo leaks that have fired up fan speculation requiring James Gunn to speak out. Reeves is playing the long game, and longtime fans of the Bat-mythos like myself are listening.

But as high as the hype is for The Batman Part II, there’s one big letdown that fans of The Penguin (available with an HBO Max subscription) will have to accept: Cristin Milioti’s Sofia Gigante, fresh off her Emmy win for Best Actress in a Limited Series, won’t be showing up in the sequel. Boo.

That’s a tough pill to swallow for fans who felt The Penguin rivaled or even surpassed The Batman. Milioti’s sharp, scene-stealing performance as Sofia Gigante made her an instant fan favorite. Still, Reeves made it clear her exclusion isn’t personal, it’s just a matter of narrative fit and the fact that the writing team was deep into the script before the series had even aired. But hey, there is always the possibility of Penguin season 2 or future The Batman installments.

What we do know is that The Batman Part II is shaping up to be a profoundly personal, mystery-driven dive back into Gotham, and I am so ready for more psychological labyrinth from a focused filmmaker.

The Batman Part II is expected in theaters on October 1, 2027, so the wait is long — but if Matt Reeves delivers the kind of story he’s hinting at, it will undoubtedly be worth every minute.

Last night’s Emmy awards were huge for many stars who walked away with statues, though perhaps none quite as big as Cristin Milioti. The actress won the Emmy for Best Actress in a Limited Series, thanks to her work in The Penguin. Milioti's performance as Sofia Gigante in the limited series won over audiences and Emmy voters alike. However, if fans were hoping to see her character in The Batman Part II, they should know that there's some bad news on that front.

Matt Reeves, the director and co-writer of The Batman Part II, was asked by MTV if fans might see Milioti’s character in the new film. Ultimately, Reeves was honest is saying that, unfortunately, that won’t happen. While he praises her performance, the filmmaker explained that an appearance from Sofia wouldn't be possible for one key reason. Reeves explained....

So it seems Sofia isn't involved due to the screenplay having already been heavily developed by the time Sofia became a breakout character. This will undoubtedly be a disappointment for many fans. In some circles, there were those who felt that The Penguin was even better than The Batman, and Milioti was certainly a big reason for that opinion. To have her in the film, even in a smaller role, would have been appreciated by the fans who want to see plot threads from the series (available with an HBO Max subscription) continued in some way.

Unfortunately, it seems that whatever the story is for The Batman Part II (for which DC Studios' James Gunn has finally read the script), it simply goes in a direction in which including the character wouldn’t have made any sense. That’s probably for the best, as the only thing that would be worse than not including her would be including her for no real reason other than to do so. Reeves continued…

Matt Reeves certainly does leave the door open to the possibility of seeing Sofia Gigante again in some future project. While there were no initial plans for The Penguin Season 2, there's at least a chance it could happen. Milioti herself has hopes of playing her character again.

There were plans at one time for multiple spinoff series set within the world of The Batman. While the Penguin is one of the few projects to survive, the possibility for more of it, as well as for other series that could include Milioti, certainly exists. It’s clear that Matt Reeves is a fan, though, so if he can find a place for her in the future, it sounds like he will.

In any case, know that The Batman Part II hits theaters on October 1, 2027.

Jeffrey Wright, an actor with an impressively diverse career, helped anchor Matt Reeves’ The Batman as Gotham’s morally grounded lieutenant, Jim Gordon, opposite Robert Pattinson’s brooding Dark Knight. His take on Gordon was gritty and sharp, which was a perfect fit for Reeves’ noir-inspired Gotham. Now, as the upcoming The Batman Part II heads into development, Wright says he’s excited to return, but he also opened up about the backlash he faced when his casting was first announced.

Speaking with Collider, The Last of Us season 2 alum didn’t hold back when discussing the racial criticism, calling it out as both ignorant and absurd. According to the actor:

The Basquiat actor went on to explain that the idea of freezing Gotham in the same mold it had in 1939, when Batman comics were first published, makes no sense in today’s world. He continued:

Jeffrey Wright's defense of his role comes with a strong reminder that Gotham has always been a reflection of New York City — a place that has changed and diversified massively since Batman’s earliest days. As he put it, making a modern Gotham without reflecting that reality would feel less authentic, not more.

The Emmy-winning actor also pointed out that his Gordon didn’t lose the character’s core values; what changed was the world around him. Reeves’s Gotham leaned heavily on a 1970s noir aesthetic, which paired perfectly with the nuanced performance from the HBO veteran actor. If anything, his version of Gordon reinforced the idea that the Caped Crusader works best when surrounded by allies who bring new perspectives to Gotham’s fight against corruption.

The American Fiction star feels a deep connection to Gotham’s mythology, too. Growing up a fan of the best Batman films himself, he emphasized that these stories belong to everyone, and the fact that audiences around the world can see themselves reflected in Gotham’s heroes and villains is part of what keeps the franchise alive, going on nearly 90 years now.

The Batman Part II isn’t on the 2025 movie schedule, but the upcoming superhero movie is locked in for October 10, 2027. Wright will once again don Gordon’s trench coat, and he’s even teased interest in seeing James Gordon Jr., his character’s troubled son, make the leap to Reeves’ big-screen saga. That would be an exciting choice, as Gordon Jr. is a deep-cut villain who has yet to receive attention in live-action.

For now, Jeffrey Wright’s comments make his stance pretty clear: he believes Gotham, like the world it reflects, has no place for racism.

The comic book genre continues to be popular, and a few properties live outside of the major cinematic universes. Matt Reeves' The Batman isn't part of the DCU's first slate of projects (titled Gods and Monsters), allowing it to craft its own story. The long-delayed sequel is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movies, although Colin Farrell revealed why it'll be worth it. And yes, he's finally gotten the script.

What we know about The Batman: Part II is limited, but fans who spent years watching the DC movies in order are invested... especially after the TV spinoff The Penguin arrived for those with an HBO Max subscription. Colin Farrell plays that beloved DC villain, and recently spoke to MTV about Part II's development. First he shared:

Do you hear that sound? It's DC fans everywhere cheering that The Batman 2's script is finally done. With the cast finally getting their eyes on it, Matt Reeves' sequel has never felt more real. Hopefully we get some information about the narrative of that developing movie sooner rather than later.

The Batman: Part II was delayed a number of times because the script wasn't ready, so the fact that it's starting to get distributed is thrilling step forward. Unfortunately at the time of this interview Farrell hadn't actually read it, so he couldn't tease what's coming for the cast. But the 49 year-old actor did explain why he thinks the sequel will be worth the wait, offering:

Some solid points were made. While Reeves and James Gunn could have green lit a sequel to The Batman with a weak script, that's not what happened. Instead they kept working at it until the story of Part II was properly cracked. And Farrell was one of just a handful of people who is getting access to the script at this point.

The finale of The Penguin teased that Farrell's title character would soon reunite with Robert Pattinson Batman, as the Batsignal was shown above Gotham City. Fans who watched the show are hoping it has real connections to The Batman: Part II, and I'm particularly hoping we get to see appearance by Cristin Miloti's Sofia Falcone... especially after she was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance.

DC Fans will get their answers when The Batman: Part II hits theaters on October 1, 2027, so we're likely going to be kept in the dark for the foreseeable future. For now fans can re-watch the original and The Penguin on HBO Max.

The Batman Part II is one of the more highly anticipated upcoming DC movies. So, with the film being pushed back multiple times, it has already faced numerous rumors, including the idea that the film had been cancelled altogether.

Now, The Batman Part II is host to a new rumor that is almost as sensational as the cancellation speculation. While we have to stress this is only a rumor, it’s one that I’m really hoping James Gunn comes out to personally debunk soon, because if there’s any chance the rumor of a major cast member leaving is true, it’s not great news for the film.

Catwoman Is Rumored Not To Be In The Batman Part II

The rumor comes from industry insider Jeff Sneider, whose track record on scoops is far from perfect, but he has been right before. According to a post on Twitter, journalists attending the recent press junket for the new movie Caught Stealing were specifically asked not to ask Zoë Kravitz anything about The Batman Part II because, according to the source, “she's not in it and doesn't know anything.”

On its face, this is obviously a troubling rumor. Zoë Kravitz’s Catwoman was one of the highlights of The Batman, and her chemistry with Robert Pattinson was solid. Fans have certainly been hoping that we’ll see more of her in the sequel, and there was an expectation that she would return. A claim that she won't be in the movie at all is shocking and disappointing.

There Are Reasons To Be Skeptical Of This Rumor

While the rumor may be entirely accurate, at this point, we can’t say, and there are some reasons not to assume it’s true.

CinemaBlend attended the Caught Stealing junket over this past weekend. We were asked to focus our questions on the movie in question and not ask about unrelated films. However, there were never any direct requests to us regarding Zoë Kravitz or specific topics to avoid when speaking with her.

Asking that questions be limited to the project of the junket isn’t unusual. It’s a common request from publicists who are trying to get as much attention as possible on their specific film. That doesn’t mean that the source didn’t have the conversation in question, but it was not a blanket statement to journalists.

It should also be pointed out that the script for The Batman Part II was only recently turned in by writer/director Matt Reeves. That script will almost certainly go through some changes, small or large, before it reaches its final form. It’s unlikely that any of the cast will know anything about it, including who is actually in it, until the script is finalized.

We'll certainly have to wait and see what the truth actually is. The Batman Part II is expected to film later this year. We'll likely know by then just who is in it and who isn't.

DCU Chapter 1 is off and running, as the first feature film set in the continuity, James Gunn’s Superman, is currently making waves. This marks a solid start for a brand-new continuity, which the DC Studios co-head is hoping will be filled to the brim with superheroes at some point. At present, though, Seth Meyers received some keen insight into why Gunn and co. decided to make Clark Kent the lead of the franchise’s first solo film. Nevertheless, I’m more intrigued by the exec bringing up Matt Reeves’ The Batman when answering.

What Did James Gunn Say To Seth Meyers About Superman And The Batman?

During the press tour for his 2025 movie release, James Gunn stopped by Late Night to chat with the program’s host, who happens to be a fan of superheroes and comic books. Seth Meyers astutely pointed out the fact that Gunn decided to go with Supes for his first major big-screen production instead of going for a lesser known character. (That latter route was, of course, taken by Marvel Studios out of necessity.) Gun proceeded to explain that the decision was greatly motivated by historical precedence:

Considering the logic that the Guardians of the Galaxy director shared during the interview (which is on YouTube), it makes sense as to why he wanted to start with Clark Kent. I’ve also seen the DCU movie for myself, and I have to say that it serves as a great first movie for this continuity. It not only gives audiences a firm introduction to this latest iteration of the Man of Steel, but it also firmly establishes the world in which he exists. Of course, as that cinematic universe takes shape, there’s been continued talk about the Bat-verse.

How Are Things Going With Matt Reeves’ Batman Franchise?

Like so many other fans, I’ve been enamored with what Matt Reeves and his collaborators have managed to do with the world of The Batman. The IP’s continued popularity is why so many have been curious about what lies ahead – and why I couldn’t help but make note of the fact that James Gunn mentioned it during his interview. On the surface, it seems Gunn merely mentioned it as a way of clarifying that the film was already in the works when he and Peter Safran took over the reins at DC.

There are many admirers who are hoping for more, though. Many have specifically been crossing their fingers that Robert Pattinson’s Batman joins the DCU and teams up with David Corenswet’s Superman. Matt Reeves himself addressed that possibility, saying that it “really comes down to whether or not it makes sense.” James Gunn, on the other hand, has been cagey, especially since his new continuity will have a Dark Knight, who will headline the film The Brave and the Bold.

With that, fans probably shouldn’t take the Super helmer’s comments during his interview with Seth Meyers as nothing more than mere excitement for the upcoming sequel. The Batman: Part II is in the works, and a major update on the project arrived this past June, at which point it was revealed that the script had been completed. Plot details are being kept under wraps right now, though it’s known that the film will hit theaters in late 2027.

Regardless of which characters cross over with each other, I’m excited for what lies ahead when it comes to DC-related content. A number of fans have been waiting for a major creative reset, and it seems that’s finally playing out. Those who want to get in on the excitement should check out Superman in theaters now. Also, grab an HBO Max subscription to stream The Batman.

As we start to move forward in the realm of upcoming DC movies, the future seems to be getting a bit clearer. That can be applied to both James Gunn’s mainline narrative in DCU Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters and the “Elseworlds” concerned with what we know about The Batman: Part II.

Returning co-writer Mattson Tomlin has brought the spotlight back to these parallel developments, with a two word tease as to what, or rather who, he’d like to bring into the DCU. But since when has a tease stopped me, or any fan really, from speculating what it could mean?

Mattson Tomlin’s Cryptic Message Doesn’t Leave A Lot To Go On

I think even The Riddler would be hard pressed to form too many theories on what we’re about to discuss. However, it’s worth discussing, as a social media user who asked The Batman franchise figure if he has any heroes he wants to tackle next, Tomlin only had two words to share with the class:

Well isn’t that enough to send a person to Arkham Asylum? While we’re not dealing with an overabundance of clues here, I think it’s important to keep in mind the question asked of the Project Power writer. The query on the board is about what “hero” Mattson Tomlin would want to adapt; so unfortunately that squashes my narrative on how The Batman crime saga should see Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader facing off against the supercomputer H.A.R.D.A.C.

That villain hails from what I consider to be one of the best Batman: The Animated Series episodes, the two-parter “Heart of Steel.” I’m not just joking when I throw that name out however, as looking at Tomlin’s resume seems to point towards a more positive role model that he could be looking to reinvent.

I Think Mattson Tomlin Could Bring Cyborg To James Gunn’s DCU

I’ll admit, that’s a pretty big jump to make based on two words - so take a moment and yell at your screen if you need to. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, looking at Mr. Tomlin’s resume, two projects stick out to me: 2021’s Mother/Android and one of my favorite Netflix series, 2024’s T2-enhancing Terminator Zero. Even with Project Power, the question of where the line stands between ones humanity and something entirely different is something that The Batman: Part II co-scribe has been preoccupied with.

Since we were robbed of a stand-alone Cyborg movie starring Ray Fisher’s DCEU incarnation, that feels like a cozy prospect for the man of the moment to tackle. I mean, the first chapter in the DCU is titled “Gods and Monsters;” which further highlights the theme of creations and their creators being an important one.

A Potential G.I. Robot Movie Would Also Be A Welcomed Fit

You can blame my recent thoughts on Superman’s potential Bizarro ending, as well as Creature Commandos’ storyline between Eric Frankenstein and The Bride (which is readily available for streaming through an HBO Max subscription) for putting me in that headspace. At the same time, it’s undeniable that if this thesis I seem to be detecting is the truth, a Cyborg movie in James Gunn’s DCU would be a rather appropriate fit.

That said, what if fellow Commandos vet G.I. Robot could be up for a picture that expands on his earlier days as an anti-fascist killing machine? The World War II setting would be a welcomed throwback, with the potential for an Elseworlds adaptation of DC: The New Frontier - more specifically its story involving that universe's WWII incarnation of The Losers.

It's a lot of theory to pour over, coming from a simple two word response; but that's part of the fun that helps pass the time when waiting for our next fixes of DC movie magic! Flashing back to what we do know, The Batman: Part II is set to return on October 1, 2027 - with Mattson Tomlin and Matt Reeves celebrating a finished script on James Gunn’s desk! Meanwhile, you can see how the DCU started its theatrical portion with Superman, in theaters now.

As James Gunn’s Superman prepares to hit the 2025 movie schedule and kick off a brand-new era for the DC Universe this week, the filmmaker and DC Studios co-head just dropped a quick update on the other Caped Crusader, and it’s the kind of minimal-but-meaningful comment that’s sure to send Gotham’s finest into speculation mode. That's right, the Suicide Squad director has finally read Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II script, and his two-word description for the upcoming DC movie is everything.

On the red carpet for the world premiere of Superman, Gunn confirmed to reporters that he’s read the full script for the long-gestating follow-up to Matt Reeves’ The Batman. In a video posted to Deadline’s official X account, and available embedded below, the Guardians of the Galaxy helmer has a very simple two-word follow-up to his recent post teasing the completed script’s cover page, which showed the Bat-symbol in full brooding glory.

There you have it, a very telling review: “It’s great.” That’s it—no spoilers, no teases, just two words that carry a lot of weight considering the source. For fans who have been antsy over the long wait and shifting release date, this is a concrete sign that progress is real and the wheels are finally turning.

Great news, considering The Batman Part II was pushed back to October 1, 2027, and many fans speculated the sequel would never take flight.

The Slither screenwriter had previously come to Reeves’ defense earlier this year, when impatient fans online started pressing for updates. His now-iconic quote—“Get off Matt’s nuts”—was peak blunt and protective James Gunn. And now that same energy is coming through in his brief but enthusiastic praise of the script.

What’s particularly interesting here is how The Batman Part II continues to stand apart from the rebooted DCU timeline. Pattinson’s Batman isn’t part of Gunn’s Gods and Monsters chapter. Instead, Reeves’ universe, including the 2022 hit The Batman and the Max spin-off series The Penguin (available with an HBO Max subscription), falls under DC’s “Elseworlds” label. In this space, standalone projects are free to operate outside the main continuity.

Reeves himself has been tight-lipped, but in a January interview with Deadline, he teased that the sequel will build off the first film while still catching fans off guard. “We’re doing something where the story continues from, but I hope that people will be surprised by,” he said. What that surprise might be is anyone’s guess, though rumors of Clayface (who’s getting his own movie), Hush, or a more fully realized Joker (hello again, Barry Keoghan) continue to swirl in the fan trenches.

So yeah, The Batman Part II’s script is “great.” That’s not much to go on, but coming from James Gunn, it’s more than enough to get this Dark Knight fan fired up and all the excuse I need to dust off the cape, smear on the eye black, and start brooding. Until then, I’ll take my vitamins and salute the Big Blue Boy Scout when Superman lands July 11.

When it comes to the passage of time between a movie and its sequel, two or three years has arguably become the norm in Hollywood. Not so with The Batman, because it’s been well over three years since Matt Reeves delivered his take on the iconic DC Comics superhero, and we’re still a ways off from seeing Robert Pattinson don the cape and cowl again for the much-anticipated The Batman: Part II. However, Reeves just shared a most welcome update on the sequel that has me more hopeful for the upcoming DC movie than I’ve felt in a long time.

Taking to his X account, Matt Reeves posted a picture of the completed script for The Batman: Part II in the foreground, and he and his co-writer, Mattson Tomlin, in the background. See for yourself!

A movie can’t exist without a script, and fans have been waiting with bated breath for Matt Reeves’ to finish his for The Batman: Part II. Today that day has come, although the filmmaker wisely blurred out the cover page. Too often there are cases where eagled-eyed fans have been able to suss out information from some partial script pages, like when it was suspected that Josh Gad was making a Spaceballs sequel before that was officially announced.

Now that Matt Reeves and Mattson Tomlinson have completed The Batman: Part II’s script, fingers crossed this means development on the sequel can accelerate. There’s been concern among some fans that the sequel might not actually happen given the slow creative process, although Andy Serkis, who plays this continuity’s Alfred Pennyworth, recently said he was “absolutely certain” we’d see The Batman’s sequel. He knew Reeves was putting the finishing touches on the script, and here it is all put together.

Of course, it’ll likely be a while until we learn specific plot details concerning The Batman: Part II. Aside from Matt Reeves resuming writing and directorial duties, and Robert Pattinson reprising Bruce Wayne, it’s been confirmed that we’ll see more of Serkis’ Alfred, Jeffrey Wright’s James Gordon and Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb in the sequel. Reeves also teased last December that there will “be a lot more grey” in the next installment as a result of the destruction Riddler wreaked on Gotham City.

The Batman: Part II is currently slated for an October 1, 2027 release, although given how this movie has been pushed back several times already, I won’t be shocked if another delay is eventually announced. Feel free to revisit The Batman and its spinoff TV show The Penguin with your HBO Max subscription, and don’t forget that the shared DC Universe will also introduce its own Batman in The Brave and the Bold.

The superhero genre continue to be popular, with a number of shared universes competing at the box office. While the DCU will begin with Gods and Monsters, some upcoming DC movies aren't set in James Gunn's burgeoning world. Chief among them is Matt Reeves' The Batman, which expanded with the TV spinoff The Penguin. We've already been waiting years for the second film to be released, although Andy Serkis' latest comments are helping to calm my fears about Part II.

What we know about The Batman: Part II is super limited, as the project is seemingly still in its early development stages. Some fans have started worrying that it simply won't happen, given how slowly its moved forward. During an interview with MoviePlayer at the Italy Sardegna Festival 2025, he spoke about the status of Serkis' sequel, which will feature his return as Alfred Pennyworth. In his words:

Well, that's a relief. Despite its extended wait, Serkis seems to have faith in Reeves and the vision for The Batman: Part II eventually hitting theaters. As of the time of writing this story, that long-awaited project is expected to arrive on October 1st, 2027. So fans are going to have to try and be as patient as they can.

The Batman: Part II has been delayed a number of times since the first movie hit theaters, to the dismay of fans. And given the gap that's already growing since the last movie hit theaters in 2022, some fans think Part II will never happen at all. Hopefully Serkis' latest comment on the subject help to quell those concerns. But there are plenty of us who are anxious awaiting news about the DC flick.

Anticipation for the second The Batman movie increased after the glowing reception that followed The Penguin. The Award-winning series was universally acclaimed, with some fans hoping there are plenty of crossovers with Part II. But Matt Reeves' plans for both the movie and any possible connections it'll have to The Penguin are currently a mystery. Still, I'm hoping that Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone gets to make the jump from the small to silver screens.

The Batman: Part II is currently expected to hit theaters on October 1st, 2027, so it's definitely not part of the 2025 movie release list. Hopefully we get more information about that project sooner rather than later.

It's wild to think it's been almost three years since The Batman came out and got a ton of praise from both critics and fans. A sequel was greenlit relatively quickly. However, with James Gunn shaping the new DC Universe and helming the upcoming Superman film, numerous rumors emerged that it might be canceled; however, Gunn has since shut down said claims. So, recently, Pattinson's Micky 17 co-star, Naomi Ackie, asked him if he's coming back for The Batman: Part II, and his response was surprisingly blunt.

What we know about The Batman: Part II is extremely limited, and with its constant date changes and shake-ups, it often feels like the upcoming DC movie is in jeopardy. In a recent “in conversation” piece for Hero Magazine, Ackie asked about whether Pattinson was planning on suiting up again, which prompted him to respond like this:

The Blink Twice actress tried to ground the star, reminding him, he’s not all that old. She responded:

The actor is obviously being a bit playful, but it's interesting to note that Robert Pattinson just turned 39.

As of right now, The Batman: Part II should drop on October 1, 2027. That means Pattinson will be 41—just two years younger than Ben Affleck was when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came out. Many DC fans likely recall that the movie was heavily promoted with the idea of Affleck playing an older, more rugged version of the Dark Knight. He had seen some stuff. So, in a way, Pattinson’s comments about age make sense.

I'm sure a lot of us can agree that the Twilight alum feels like a "young" nearly 40-year-old man. With a bit of movie magic, he could definitely keep playing a more youthful take on Batman for a few more years. He’s nowhere near being an "old" Caped Crusader!

We don't necessarily need a young and fresh face version of Batman for Robert Pattinson to return to the role, and he should. The actor's version of The Dark Knight is one of the best live-action portrayals of Batman, ranking right alongside Michael Keaton. I hope that Warner Bros. and the decision-makers can get their act together to put The Batman: Part II on track and bring it to theaters, because it would be a shame to lose the chance to see the Harry Potter alum donning the cape for another outing.

The Batman: Part II is scheduled for release on October 1, 2027. However, since it is obviously not part of the 2025 movie schedule, there is some uncertainty about when we will receive further details on its production. In the meantime, we can revisit the first film, featuring the "young" Dark Knight as well as his latest movie, Mickey 17, with an HBO Max subscription.

Last fall, TV viewers/Max subscribers were gifted a tremendous drama series in HBO's The Penguin, and Cristin Milioti is a big reason why the spinoff from The Batman is so great. Playing Sofia Gigante, the actress delivered a powerful performance – the gangster heiress sheading her family legacy to become her own kind of monster – and while we don't know what the future may hold for her character, we do know that Milioti would jump at the first chance she got to be in an upcoming Batman movie.

Per IndieWire, Cristin Milioti spoke to press this past weekend at the Critics Choice Awards after winning the prize for Best Actress in a Limited Series (or Movie Made for Television), and she was specifically asked about her potential future in Matt Reeves' Batman movies. She didn't just express mild enthusiasm for the idea; she explained that it is a legitimate ambition and that she would be ready to work even before work would be scheduled to begin. She explained,

For those who don't recall, The Penguin finale saw Oswald "Oz" Cobb get the upper hand on Sofia Gigante, but instead of killing her, he had her sent back to Arkham Asylum as a prisoner. In her final scene, she receives a letter from her half-sister Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman (who was played by Zoe Kravitz in Matt Reeves' The Batman).

So could Cristin Milioti's Sofia have a role to play in The Batman Part II, which is now in pre-production and is presently scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 1, 2027? On a practical level, the answer is yes – as the character is available to be utilized in whatever story the screenwriters develop for the blockbuster. Sadly, there hasn't been any outreach yet, though – but Milioti also understands that there is a lot of hush-hush surrounding the project:

At present, the only actors confirmed to appear in The Batman Part II are Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. Production is scheduled to start in the second half of this year (Pattinson is currently occupied with Christopher Nolan's adaptation of The Odyssey), so we can definitely expect some casting announcements in the coming months.

Comic book movie fans will have to demonstrate some patience learning about the future of Sofia Giante, but the good news is that the slate of upcoming DC movies is packed to keep us satiated – starting with the arrival of writer/director James Gunn's Superman, which arrives in theaters on July 11.

The superhero genre continues to be wildly popular, thanks to various cinematic universes currently in play. But there's also some franchises set outside of those, such as Matt Reeves' The Batman franchise (which is streaming with a Max subscription). While fans are eager to see Part II, there's even more interest in that world thanks to the Golden Globe winning series The Penguin. Reeves addressed future spinoffs and The Penguin Season 2, and I’m hoping they happen sooner rather than later.

What we know about The Batman: Part Two is limited, but there is even more interest in the upcoming DC movie thanks to The Penguin's wild success. While speaking with Josh Horowitz at the Globes, Matt Reeves addressed more spinoffs, offering:

There you have it. Sounds like Reeves is down to bring more stories to life from his version of Gotham City... once The Batman Part II is finally set. Although after the finale of The Penguin, I want Season 2 to happen ASAP. Because while I was feeling mid about the first Batman movie, the show gave me renewed interest in Reeves' franchise.

While I'm more interested in seeing Matt Reeves' franchise on the small screen, it makes senes that he and the rest of the team would put all of their focus on The Batman Part II. The sequel has already been delayed a few times, as the script is polished before production. But while this had the possibility of making fans less interested, The Penguin has helped to keep the Reeves version of Gotham City top of mind.

As fans wait for news about The Batman and its spinoffs, moviegoers will be treated to the new DC Universe, which is being brought to life by James Gunn. The first slate of projects for the new shared universe is called Gods and Monsters, and began with Creature Commandos and the upcoming Superman movie. While being treated to new DC content is going to help satiate the fans who are waiting for more of The Batman universe, I'm hoping it doesn't take years for more spinoffs as well as a second season of The Penguin. After all, I've grown quite attached to Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone.

The Batman Part II is currently in pre-production and is expected to arrive in theaters on October 1, 2027. While we wait for information about its spinoffs, check out the 2025 movie release dates to plan your next trip to the movies.

The DC Universe is taking shape under the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, kicking off with Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters. While fans are consumed with Max's Creature Commandos and the upcoming Superman, they've also wondered which beloved characters might join the new continuity. A big question surrounds Robert Pattinson’s portrayal of the Dark Knight in The Batman and whether his iteration of Bruce Wayne might eventually cross over into the larger DCU. Now, the film's director, Matt Reeves, is sharing thoughts.

While attending the 2025 Golden Globes, Matt Reeves—known for his critically acclaimed vision of Gotham’s brooding vigilante—addressed the possibilities of his Dark Knight entering the DCU amid a red-carpet interview with Josh Horowitz. In a clip posted to Horowitz’s Instagram, the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes filmmaker shared insight into his current creative focus and weighed in on whether Pattinson’s Batman made sense in Gunn and Safran’s ambitious interconnected DC plans:

Reeves’ The Batman introduced audiences to a grittier, more grounded take on Bruce Wayne’s early days as the Caped Crusader. The film’s distinct tone, psychological depth, and noir-inspired style made it a standout among modern superhero movies. With that, the Let Me In helmer is doubling down on his approach with his next installment in the series and other spin-offs, such HBO’s award-winning The Penguin series. So, amongst the things we know about The Batman 2, it seems the focus remains on crafting a self-contained Gotham-centric universe.

During his conversation with Josh Horowitz, the Cloverfield director praised Gunn and Safran for allowing him the creative space to build out his own Gotham-centric universe without interference:

For now, the veteran director of the Felicity series is laser-focused on delivering a sequel that lives up to the high bar set by the first film. Any potential crossover discussions will be left for the future.

Robert Pattinson’s future as the Dark Knight may remain firmly within the Pallbearer filmmaker’s standalone universe, but that’s hardly a bad thing. Matt Reeves’ vision now holds its own space within the DC pantheon, offering a unique and compelling take on one of pop culture’s most iconic characters.

For fans eager to revisit Pattinson’s debut as the Caped Crusader, The Batman is currently streaming with a Max subscription. And with the (once-again delayed) sequel on the horizon, there’s plenty more to look forward to in Reeves’ corner of Gotham City.

Almost as soon as Matt Reeves The Batman was released, the first questions were asked about what would happen in The Batman Part II. The first movie very clearly teased sequel plans, even if sequels to superhero movies weren’t already expected. But now that we have entered 2025, it seems unlikely that Matt Reeves is going to be asked anything else.

There had been some conflicting information regarding just when we’d see the next installment, and the recent news that the Batman sequel was getting delayed (again) might have caused some to stop wondering what’s going on. Well, with the news that The Batman Part II will film in 2025, get ready for all Batman all the time Matt Reeves.

Matt Reeves Is Already Being Asked About The Batman II On The Red Carpet

Matt Reeves was on the red carpet at the 2025 Golden Globes when he was asked about working with Colin Farrell, who would go on to win the award that night for The Penguin series. But then Deadline had to ask him what he could say about The Batman Part II despite the fact that both the interviewer and the interviewee knew the answer was basically nothing. What we know about The Batman Part II right now is very limited, and that's by design.

He confirmed that the movie is set to start shooting later this year, which indicates that a script is either done or very close to it. Beyond that, Reeves said nothing. This will not stop anybody and everybody who interviews Reeves over the next two years from asking about it.

As somebody who works in the entertainment industry and sometimes interviews famous people. I get it. We all have to ask these questions because the answers, however vague they may be, are what people want to know. And eventually Reeves will be abler to say something and everybody wants to be the one who asks the question when he can finally reveal some details.

As The Batman Part II Gets Closer, The Questions Will Only Increase

I hope Matt Reeves is good at avoiding questions, because he’s only going to have to get better at it. When filming on The Batman Part II gets started, and even beforehand, there will be countless rumors about what the script contains, which characters are in it and what the story will be. There have already been plenty of those stories that James Gunn has had to shoot down time and again. Whether Reeves simply says no comment or takes a more proactive approach, the questions will only get more intense as time moves forward.

Perhaps once awards season is over Reeves can take himself out of the public eye so he can simply avoid the questions. Then, when it's time to do press for the movie, he can actually answer some questions. Matt Treeves won't have time to breathe until The Batman Part II is in theaters on October 1, 2027, at which point everybody can move on and start asking about The Batman Part III.

There are several highly anticipated upcoming DC movies, but there’s one that fans have really been hyping up for a while now. I’m talking about Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequel, which will continue the journey of Robert Pattinson’s titular vigilante. Unfortunately, it was just revealed that the film had been delayed again, as it shifted from a 2026 release date to one marked for 2027. As fans express their disappointment on social media, DC Studios’ James Gunn is addressing their concerns about a long gap between films.

Originally referred to as The Batman – Part II, the film was originally set to hit theaters sometime in 2025, before Warner Bros. slotted it for October 2, 2026. Reports that dropped at the end of this past week, however, revealed that the film wouldn’t hit cinemas until October 1, 2027 as part of a larger schedule shakeup for WB. With this, by the time the film is released, over five and a half years will have passed since its 2022 predecessor.

Eventually, a number of fans took to social media to express their displeasure. Some seemed particularly concerned about the large gap of time between the two major releases. That may be partially due to the fact that Matt Reeves’ franchise has seemingly relied on a tight timeline, with the events of The Penguin kicking off only a week after The Batman and its sequel set to take place shortly after the aforementioned TV spinoff. Still, James Gunn took to Threads to share some points in response to the chatter:

It’s true that the sequels mentioned above did indeed have major gaps in between releases. Of course, good films also take immense time to percolate. However, as a fan, even I have to admit that the gap between the Caped Crusader films is quite significant. Also, in regard to James Gunn’s assessment, one could argue that what makes this situation different is that The Batman 2 was announced over a month after the first film debuted. On the other hand, the statuses of some of those legacy sequels remained unclear for years before they were formally confirmed to the public.

This wasn’t the only statement that the Belko Experiment scribe shared about Matt Reeves’ much-discussed film, which was recently subject to production rumors regarding Robert Pattinson’s availability. Before sharing his comments on sequels, the DC Studios co-head also took to Threads to confirm the delay report and issue a statement about the status of the film’s script:

Regardless of how you’re feeling about the news, the general public is indeed going to have to wait a few more years to see Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader take to the skies on the big screen again. I’m hopeful that lightning will strike twice, and Matt Reeves will deliver another stellar film. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go sit in a chair and wait patiently for the moment I can buy my ticket for the film.

While you wait for the movie, check out both The Batman and The Penguin using a Max subscription. You can also read up on other upcoming superhero movies.

Although Paul Dano’s Edward Nashton, a.k.a. The Riddler, initially made a name for himself in The Batman as a serial killer targeting Gotham’s elite, by the end of the movie, he’d gain significantly more notoriety by flooding the city after blowing up it seawall, and then having his followers attempt to assassinate mayor elect Bella Reál. Although Robert Pattinson’s Batman managed to save Reál, Gotham was left devastated by the flooding, which factored into the events of The Penguin and will continue to be explored in 2026’s The Batman: Part II. On that note, director and writer Matt Reeves shared how this version of the Caped Crusader will struggle in the upcoming DC movie following Riddler’s attack

During The Batman’s ending, Bruce Wayne realized it wasn’t enough to simply strike fear into the hearts of criminals; his costumed persona also needed to inspire hope among the citizens he was protecting. He seemed to get off to a good start doing that, but as Reeves informed Digital Spy, all the destruction Riddler wreaked will lead Bruce to grapple with his views on justice. The filmmaker started off by saying:

Individuals like Mayor Don Mitchell Jr., Commissioner Pete Savage and crime boss Carmine Falcone, were killed by Riddler in The Batman as part of his mission to expose how Gotham City was festering with corruption and greed. It showed Batman that there was more to fighting for justice in the city beyond just beating up criminals, as there are some problems that can’t be solved with fists. That doesn’t condone Riddler flooding Gotham, but it will force Bruce to look at what’s happening in his city, and by extension his crimefighting crusade, with a more nuanced perspective. Matt Reeves continued:

It’s good to know everything that went down in The Batman won’t all be fixed by the time The Batman: Part II starts, and that Bruce Wayne will need to adjust the way he looks at the world in order to more effectively combat Gotham’s dark forces. Matt Reeves also mentioned that the chaos that unfolded in the streets during The Penguin will also “build into the conflict” of the sequel. The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc previously said that Batman didn’t appear in the HBO series because this a “big city,” and also because the superhero doesn’t think Colin Farrell’s Oz is “really worth paying attention to.”

The Batman: Part II doesn’t arrive in theaters until October 2, 2026, but it’s likely 2025 will bring some major updates regarding what to expect from the sequel, including hopefully learning if Barry Keoghan’s Joker will indeed factor into the plot. For now, remember that both The Batman and The Penguin can be streamed with a Max subscription.

The superhero genre continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment industry, including a number of shared universes. But some franchises are set outside of those worlds, including Matt Reeves' The Batman (which is streaming with a Max subscription). The movie's sequel is one of the most highly anticipated upcoming DC movies, although there's been chatter online about its possible delay. And after rumors swirled around The Batman Part II’s production start, Reeves provided an update that has me relieved.

What we know about The Batman Part II is super limited, resulting in rumors and chatter online going wild. Robert Pattinson's casting in a new Christopher Nolan movie, as well as James Gunn's confirmation that the script was not finished had fans concerned the DC sequel will be delayed. Matt Reeves himself spoke to Variety about what's going on behind the scenes, offering:

There you have it. Sounds like the script for the The Batman Part II nearly completed. Per Matt Reeves' estimation, he think that the movie will still begin shooting next year, and presumably will make its planned 2026 release date. And I've got to say I'm feeling super relieved.

While moviegoers were already hyped for The Batman to get a sequel, excitement over Matt Reeves' franchise has increased even more thanks to its spinoff series on Max. The Penguin's finale put Colin Farrell's title character in a place to have a more powerful position in Part II, and fans are hoping that characters like Cristin Milioti's Sofia Falcone make their way to the big screen.

The Penguin has been universally acclaimed since its release, and recently got a number of Golden Globe nominations. This has only increased the conversations around The Batman Part II, as well as worry that the Matt Reeves' sequel might end up bing delayed.

There have been countless rumors and fan theories about what Reeves and company might have up their sleeves for The Batman's sequel. For his part, DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has shut down a ton of rumors about villains and casting, citing the lack of a completed script as the reason why things are up in the air.

One of the biggest question marks about The Batman Part II is which characters from the comics might end up making their way to the franchise. There's particular fan interest in Barry Keoghan's Joker, who had a brief but memorable appearance in the first film. And as previously mentioned, there's plenty of folks who want to see Sofia Falcone join the fun.

The Batman Part II is currently expected to hit theaters October 2nd, 2026. Be sure to check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

James Gunn has been a little busy of late. He’s directed a new Superman movie that has revealed it will be dropping its first teaser this week. The first chapter of his new DC Universe, Creature Commandos, recently debuted. And there’s also Peacemaker Season 2 on the way. However, James Gunn has another nearly full-time job, debunking rumors, mostly, it seems for The Batman Part II.

There have been numerous rumors regarding just what The Batman Part II will be about, what villains or other characters might appear, and what actors may play them. There have even been some rumors that The Batman Part II will never actually happen. James Gunn took to Threads to debunk the latest rumor, that Clayface and Scarecrow will both appear in the next movie. Gunn says that’s not the case, and reiterates that nothing about what will be in the next Batman movie could be known, as the script doesn’t yet exist. Gunn said…

Gunn has cautioned before about people making too many assumptions regarding any movie that doesn’t have a script. Many of the rumors regarding upcoming DC movies regard their casting, and Gunn has been clear that casting doesn’t start before there is a finished script.

The end of The Batman did tease a future appearance by the Joker, so some likely expect to see him appear in the next movie. Barry Keoghan says he’s heard nothing, but that’s not necessarily a surprise since there’s no script yet. It’s also suggested that Joker won’t appear in a major way until the third film in the planned Batman trilogy, so if that’s the case, the new movie does need a villain, if not more than one.

It’s at least possible to see where some of these new rumors might have come from. Gunn himself recently confirmed that a DCU Clayface project was in development, so somebody might have made some connections there. Of course, based on what Gunn said, it sounds like the Clayface concept will be part of the main DC Universe, and so wouldn’t be connected to Matt Reeves Batman. But rather the version of Batman who will appear in The Brave and the Bold, the planned Batman movie being directed by Andy Muschietti.

The Batman Part II has an official release date but it’s not until October 2026, so there’s plenty of time for the script to be finished and for production to get started and hit that date. Having said that, filming will need to happen sometime next year, so the script will need to be finished sooner rather than later.

The superhero genre continues to be a powerful force in the entertainment world, with a number of shared universes competing for box office supremacy. And while fans look forward to seeing the new DCU begin with James Gunn's Superman, there's also a franchise set in another universe: Matt Reeves' The Batman (which is streaming with a Max subscription). And James Gunn just addressed concerns The Batman universe is already in jeopardy.

What we know about The Batman Part II is super limited, as it seemingly doesn't even have a script just yet. But anticipation for that project is definitely building, especially after The Penguin's finale on Max. And when DC's co-CEO James Gunn was asked on Threads about rumors that Matt Reeves' sequel is being scrapped, he didn't hold back. As Gunn put it:

Well, there you have it. It sounds like, James Gunn has no intention of bringing The Batman franchise to an end anytime soon. And he certainly didn't mine his words when shutting down this rumor that's been circulating online. Hopefully we get more information about the upcoming DC movie sooner rather than later.

While Marvel exclusively releases content that's set within the MCU (and streaming with a Disney+ subscription), DC is a little more flexible. Both the Joker franchise and The Batman are in their own universes, allowing filmmakers like Matt Reeves and Todd Phillips to take bold narrative swings. And as such, fans will likely be very happy with Gunn's comments about the Robert Pattinson-led property continuing on. Although he is still waiting on the sequel's script.

This is just the latest example of James Gunn shutting down a DC rumor through the use of social media. Because the DCU hasn't actually begun yet, there's constant chatter online about what may or may not be coming in the future. While the Guardians of the Galaxy filmmaker is still guarding the secrets about what's coming next, he's also been regularly shutting down chatter online about the shared universe.

James Gunn's Superman movie will kick off the new DCU, and there are already a number of projects lined up for the future. The first slate of projects is titled Gods and Monsters, and will feature projects on the silver and small screens, as well as animated titles like Creature Commandos.

Both The Batman and The Penguin are streaming now on Max. While we wait for news on the DCU, check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the movies.

Naturally, this story will dig into spoilers for the season finale of The Penguin, so stop reading now if you aren’t yet caught up.

The bulk of the season finale of the excellent HBO series The Penguin dealt with Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell) tying up the loose ends created by his hasty decision to murder Alberto Falcone (Michael Zegen), way back in Episode 1 of this gripping crime thriller. Oz has had to deal with Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), the entire Maroni crime family, a young protege named Victor (Rhenzy Feliz), and his own mother (Deirdre O’Connell) over the course of the season. But one scene in the finale, I believe, suggested where Matt Reeves might want to take this story when he resumes the action in The Batman: Part 2.

To the credit of The Penguin, this show was not overwhelmed by teases for upcoming DC movies. Instead, showrunner Lauren LeFranc laser focused on the characters in her soap opera, building out her dingy corner of Gotham and fleshing out key characters who could be important in future Gotham stories… or might never be heard from again. I’m quite sure everyone’s ears perked up when Sofia – back in Arkham – received a letter from her half-sister, Selina Kyle (Zoe Kravitz). No doubt that will be a thread that Reeves and his team pull on in The Batman: Part 2.

But one complete scene stood out to me in the finale as a deliberate set up for where we might see Oz in The Batman: Part 2. Almost as if Matt Reeves asked LeFranc to include this one sequence, just to lay the groundwork for a story he’d like to explore down the line.

Into the Lion’s Den

Oz (Colin Farrell) finds himself in a number of tight situations over the course of the finale. Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti) has the fast-talking rat pinned down a few times, once with his mother (Deirdre O’Connell), and once with the crime family leaders. But then there’s a complete detour in between the actions of the main saga, where Victor (Rhenzy Feliz) takes Oz to City Hall, so he can win some allies and establish himself as a larger player.

Once inside City Hall, Oz meets with Councilman Sebastian Hady (Rhys Coiro), whom he bribed in an earlier episode to get the electricity back on in his devastated neighborhood of Crown Point. As they talk, Oz manages to reverse engineer his recent crime spree and blame it on several others. He pins the underground Bliss ring on the now-deceased Salvatore Maroni (Clancy Brown). He blames Sofia for blowing up the tunnels under Crown Point (which she did). And he explains to Hady:

In the DC Comics, Sebastian Hady goes on to become Mayor of Gotham City. A corrupt mayor, but still, a city leader with immense power. That’s a good friend to have in Gotham. And as we all know, Oz doesn’t do anything for free. When asked what Oz wants in return, the crook tells Hady:

Who are these “friends” Oz is referencing? I think I know… and I think the scene tells us.

The Court of Owls

Fans have had a good time speculating on the villain (or villains) that Matt Reeves might want to introduce into The Batman: Part 2. Hell, we have been guilty of this, as well. So far, Reeves has introduced The Riddler (Paul Dano), The Penguin (Farrell), Joker (Barry Keoghan), Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz), and other lower-level threats. The key seems to be finding grounded criminals who don’t fall into the camp of an exaggerated comic-book type threat.

Lots of DC Comics readers have suggested that Reeves use The Court of Owls, a secret society pulling the strings on Gotham’s rich and powerful for centuries, and I think that they would fit perfectly into what intrigues the writer/director. The plot of his The Batman even rooted itself in historic corruption, with Riddler being motivated to punish Batman (Robert Pattinson) for the actions of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Reeves has said he hopes to further explore Gotham’s corruption in the sequel. Bruce Wayne discovering that the evils of his city trace back generations to one main group manipulating all of the power lines up beautifully with the manipulation on display in The Batman and The Penguin.

Some fans have even pointed out that the curtains in the courtroom where Oz confronts Sebastian Hady LOOK like the outlines of owls. And dammit, they really do:

Was this a hat tip? Or an innocent set design? We won’t find out until October 2026, when The Batman: Part 2 is scheduled to reach theaters. And I wonder if we will get a Penguin Season 2, or if Reeves will back a different spinoff for another key character. Either way, I just hope we get more time in this version of Gotham before Pattinson returns to clean up the seedy streets.

Thanks in large part to James Gunn and Peter Safran’s creative initiatives happening at DC Studios, fans can look forward to plenty of upcoming DC TV shows, from the horror-comedy teamwork of Creature Commandos to the murder-mystery Lanterns and so on. But outside of that eventually connected universe exists Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, the entrepreneurial thug at the heart of HBO’s brilliant crime drama The Penguin, and fans are very curious to know if he’ll be donning the prosthetics again for Season 2.

Quite honestly, I always believed The Penguin would exist solely as a limited series to serve as a wildly entertaining bridge of sorts between Matt Reeves’ first Caped Crusader movie and the upcoming sequel The Batman: Part II. Maybe that was just my pessimistic side being intimidated by the long waits between projects, combined with the number of other Gotham-set projects that were developed and then shelved.

While I’ve no direct clue what Reeves’ ultimate goals have always been, he’s often understandably come across as strategically cautious when talking about future Batman projects outside of James Gunn’s DCU. And he didn’t pull a 360 or anything, but did let a little light shine into the dark when talking to Andy Serkis about The Penguin for Interview Magazine. When asked if “they’ll do The Penguin” or focus on another element in Gotham City, Reeves replied with:

Obviously we can’t get too excited about anything just yet, since it’s not like the filmmaker brought out a cake with “Season 2 Is Happening” written in purple icing. And Reeves technically could have been speaking specifically about one of those “other” projects he’s had in mind. But I’d like to think he would have made that delineation if there was one to make, especially since fans are already aware of the Arkham Asylum series that was developed and then canceled earlier this year.

As such, let's gleefully bank on the fact that The Penguin is now in contention for a second season, and that all of the main cast members are still alive to return for it after the season finale. I'm less optimistic about that, all things considered, but there's no way Oz is getting bodied, and everyone else is technically expendable at that point.

Matt Reeves continued, speaking to the importance of expanding and exploring pockets of Gotham City for audiences to temporarily hole up in to spend time with other characters from this deep bat-mythos. In his words:

As loose a tie as it may be, I'm going to hold on tightly to the fact that he said "Oz's story IS Oz's story," and didn't use the past tense of the verb.

True, Colin Farrell has spoken quite a bit about how miserable he became wearing Oz’s prosthetics during production, which was cause for concern that he may not want to go down that same troublesome path to lead another episodic season. That said, he was also still very grateful at the time to hold such a prestigious role, and as Reeves implied, the fact that the show has earned a constant train of praise for the past two months has to be gratifying. Not to mention all of the early Emmys talk.

The Penguin's finale is set to air on HBO on Sunday, November 10 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The comic book genre has been dominating the entertainment industry for years, with a number of shared universes currently battling for box office supremacy. But some franchises have stood outside of those confines, including Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is set apart from the old DCEU or the new DCU. I personally didn't love The Batman, but here's why The Penguin has me actually invested in Matt Reeves' sequel.

What we know about The Batman: Part II is limited, but fans can return to that take on Gotham City via the new spinoff series The Penguin. Available to stream for those with a Max subscription, the series follows up with the city directly after The Batman's ending, and focuses on organized crime connected to Colin Farrell's title character. I have personally been hooked since Day 1, but The Penguin has just gotten better as the season goes on. And I have to give it credit for getting me excited for what's going to come next on the big screen... especially if we get to see any of the show's characters cross over.

The Batman's long runtime and pacing were a big part of the reason why I originally failed to connect with Matt Reeves' movie when it arrived in 2022. But having the story of this particular Gotham City expanded into a full blown series is what helps make it The Penguin such a rich and thrilling ride. This universe needs the time to be with its characters, which is why the medium of television works so well.

Colin Farrell offers an outstanding performance as Oswald Cobblepot, but The Penguin's supporting cast also help to make it such an excellent series. In particular Cristin Milioti, whose Episode 4 performance as Sofia Falcone is Emmy worthy in my opinion.

In some ways it feels like The Penguin is DC's take on The Sopranos, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. But while Tony's mother Livia is a nagging villain throughout her time on the series, Oz's mother Francis has a much more loving and complicated relationship with the show's protagonist. This (along with his mentorship with Victor) adds another level of heart to Farrell's Penguin, despite the atrocities we see him commit onscreen. And the television format allows Oswald's history and inner psyche to reveal itself organically.

The Penguin hasn't finished its season yet, and I can only assume that there are going to be some big character deaths. But I'm really hoping that we get to see Sofia in particular make it to the big screen in a project like The Batman: Part II. Or maybe Francis or Victor will show up in a scene with Oz? Only time will tell, but I'm officially invested in the upcoming DC movie.

The Penguin airs new episodes Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max, and The Batman: Part II is expected to arrive October 2nd, 2026. While we wait, check the 2025 movie release dates.

Mild spoilers below for HBO’s The Penguin, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched or streamed with a Max subscription.

With its first four episodes, The Penguin has not only lived up to the esteemed reputation of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, but it’s also become a bastion of pride and hope for DC fans disenfranchised by the box office rejection of Joker: Folie à Deux. It’s arguably already in the Top 10 tier out of everything that’s hit the 2024 TV schedule so far. But you know what could possibly make it even better? Gotham characters.

I know, I know, this is as much of an exercise in Bat-futility as fighting for Gotham to survive beyond its five seasons. But while Robert Pattinson’s solo Caped Crusder feature was often a bit too dour for Gotham’s over-the-top shenanigans, Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb and his underworld could provide a more perfect union between the two universes, if only in my well-intentioned headcanon.

It’d be one thing if we knew for a fact that The Penguin wasn’t introducing any other major Batman characters from comics and other lore beyond the Falcones and Maronis, but the fourth episode surprisingly introduced, and brutally dispatched, a lesser-utilized villain who informed Sofia’s time in Arkham Asylum. (And one who also popped up in Gotham, non-coincidentally enough.) So let’s look at the actors and characters I think would work best within showrunner Lauren LeFranc’s G.C.

Donal Logue's Harvey Bullock

Donal Logue is the kind of actor that makes everything better, and rarely takes parts in subjectively terrible projects, so he’s a best-case scenario for entertainment hounds. He can bring both comedic and dramatic chops to whatever part he’s playing, and commands attention while doing it. So he wouldn’t be in danger of being out-acted alongside the lofty talents of Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and others.

And that’s just talking about Logue himself. It’s been two and a half years since The Batman came out, and I’m still fooling myself into thinking Harvey Bullock existed in that film, because he’s such a classic foil and enforcer within the GCPD in just about every iteration of Gotham City’s law enforcement rankings. But no, he wasn’t in there at all.

There’s no need for The Penguin’s creative team to think-tank up a brand new version of the character, either. Just go with a version we all know and love who isn’t so much of a dirty-dealing douchebag, but also isn’t a costume-glorifying sycophant. He’s been right there waiting the whole time, and he looks a lot like Donal Logue.

Morena Boccarin's Dr. Lee Thompkins

For anyone who was a bit bummed out that Morena Baccarin didn’t have more of a hefty role within Shawn Levy’s madcap Deadpool & Wolverine, you’re not alone. And that was hardly the first time the actress got mixed up with characters who lead deadly and sordid lives. Only in Gotham, Baccarin’s Dr. Lee Thompkins wasn’t on the outside of the story; she was fully invested in batshit, action-packed arcs that turned her from romantic interest to a villainous partner for Ed Nygma.

Even when the story seemed wonky, Baccarin is the kind of pro that made it all work, and I think she would bring the same gravitas to The Penguin, where a character like Lee Thompkins could provide a lot of help (or harm). Though neither the Waynes nor James Gordon is part of Oz’s TV world, this is a show with an already established (if entirely questionable) psychologist in Theo Rossi’s Dr. Julian Rush.

Depending on where Rush’s story goes, and whether or not he remains a helpful and living presence to Sofia throughout the season, I could easily see the series bringing in Leslie Thompkins to either investigate the other doctor’s practices or to potentially sway Sofia to her own teachings.

Drew Powell's Butch Gilzean

As it went with so many of Gotham’s cast members, Drew Powell could turn any scene from a snore into a riot as the boss-flipping enforcer Butch Gilzean. The actor is a big and intimidating dude, which helps to sell the role since he’s also quite a brainy and intelligent charmer. Honestly, if Butch entered the world of The Penguin, he’d probably be a made man before the end of his first episode.

By the end of Gotham’s run, Butch was revealed to be the alter ego of zombie-man Solomon Grundy, which turned into a whole stockpile of bonkers in and of itself. But I think we can all agree that The Penguin should and would bypass that whole Slaughter Swamp-related arc and just keep it to Powell’s more distinctly human performance. And it would be awesome.

Surprise Fourth Entry! Cameron Monaghan's Jeremiah Valeska

Yeahhhh, okay, so as a Gotham fanatic, I would have trouble making it through life with my sanity intact if didn’t continuously preach for Cameron Monaghan’s return to the DC universe as some version of The Joker. His performances on Gotham as both Jerome and Jeremiah (and eventually just “J”) were rather iconic at times, and understandably could only happen in bursts rather than as an ongoing arc across 20+ episodes.

A show like The Penguin, with its shortened season length, would be a perfect spot for either a similar mini-arc, or even just a one-episode appearance, from Monaghan in an outlandish capacity. Obviously this is a more grounded crime drama that has spawned myriad comparisons to The Sopranos, but Jeremiah Valeska is far calmer and quieter than his brother was, and with fewer scars.

Granted, Barry Keoghan’s brief appearance in The Batman is presumably setting up a bigger Joker arc in The Batman: Part II, which would make Cameron Monaghan’s proto-Clown Prince somewhat redundant. As if such a word could be applied to the gloriousness of Gotham’s Valeska brothers. So I guess it’s the least likely of any of these pipe dreams, but in chaos, we trust.

The Penguin airs Sunday nights on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET.

For fans of the Boy Wonder, the latest upcoming DC movie news is likely what you've been waiting for. Robin, one of Batman’s most iconic sidekicks, is finally stepping into the spotlight in an animated project. DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures Animation are teaming up for Dynamic Duo, a brand-new movie focused on two of the most famous Robins. But what sets this film apart is its unique and innovative approach to animation, and it sounds wild.

Dynamic Duo will explore the early days of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, two of the characters who have donned the mantle of Robin over the years. Per Deadline, It’s a fresh take on the beloved crime-fighting partners, focusing on their origins and dynamic as young heroes. However, don't expect this to be your typical animated superhero flick. This isn't like classic animated DC TV shows or a spinoff of other Dark Knight projects—it’s something far more experimental and artistic.

What Will The Robin-Centric Story Be About?

The film’s storyline will be independent of Matt Reeves' popular The Batman film and The Penguin series, offering a standalone narrative that will appeal to new fans and die-hard DC followers alike. With no ties to Reeves' gritty Gotham, Dynamic Duo has the freedom to carve out its own identity, and from what we know, it’s going to be a visually stunning ride.

The revolutionary animation style used to bring it to life will surely make fans excited about the upcoming superhero movie. Swaybox Studios, a new animation house out of New Orleans, is using a technique called "Momo animation," a hybrid technology that combines CGI, stop-motion elements and live-action performance to create a visually breathtaking and expressive style.

According to early reports, this method allows for a more human, dynamic form of storytelling, blending the best of multiple animation techniques in a way that's never been done before. This may sound unorthodox on paper, but I'm loving the notion of a feature film this distinctive.

What We Know About The Team Involved

Swaybox’s founders, Arthur Mintz and Theresa Andersson, are leading the charge on this groundbreaking project. Mintz, who has worked on celebrated films like James and the Giant Peach and Lost Ollie, will direct Dynamic Duo, and his expertise in puppetry and animation ensures that the film will have a unique artistic flair. Andersson, known for her one-woman musical performances, adds an additional layer of creativity to the project.

The project is stacked with some of the biggest names in the industry. James Gunn and Peter Safran, the masterminds behind DC Studios, are producing alongside Swaybox’s Andersson and acclaimed director Matt Reeves. For Reeves, this project has been a long time coming. He stated:

The film is also backed by notable executive producers, including Michael Uslan, a key player in nearly every modern Caped Crusader-centered film since Tim Burton's 1989 classic. With such a strong lineup, the animated flick is clearly in capable hands. Its innovative animation, fresh storytelling, and powerhouse team make this DC project one to watch. On the whole, this sounds like it could be our next great Robin depiction, and it's about time.

No release date has been announced for Dynamic Duo, but one would hope that it hits theaters sometime during the 2025 movie release schedule.

If you keep up with upcoming superhero movies, then you already know the new DC Universe, under the tutelage of Co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, is gearing up to introduce its own Batman in The Brave and the Bold. But fret not, Bat-fans, because Robert Pattinson’s version of the Dark Knight isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. After the success of The Batman in 2022, Pattinson’s Gotham City vigilante will return to the big screen in 2026 with Matt Reeves’s The Batman: Part II. Director and co-writer Reeves had always planned for his Caped Crusader saga to unfold as a trilogy. And although there have been some adjustments to this part of the DC multiverse, the Let Me In screenwriter has assured fans that his original plans for the Robert Pattinson starring franchise are still in play.

In a recent interview with Collider, Matt reaffirmed that everything is still on track for his trilogy plans. The Planet of the Apes veteran director reaffirmed his long-term goals, telling the outlet:

Reeves explained that while there have been some recalibrations, particularly with the introduction of HBO’s The Penguin, his original concept for a trilogy hasn’t wavered. The spin-off, starring Colin Farrell as Oswald Cobblepot, while not featuring The World’s Greatest Detective, will further develop Gotham’s criminal underworld without detracting from the main Batman storyline. Initially, the filmmaker and his team had planned to continue Oswald’s (who doesn’t like to be called Penguin)rise to power in the films. However, the opportunity to tell this story in a series was too enticing. It allowed him to dive deeper into the character’s transformation without slowing the pace of the main trilogy.

The Felicity veteran director emphasized that The Penguin, set a week after the events of 2022’s The Batman, will cover a compressed period of time as Gotham’s underworld reshuffles after the death of Carmine Falcone.

This new approach by Reeves is part of a larger "Batman Epic Crime Saga," a term he used to describe the interconnected stories unfolding across the films and series. Speaking about conversations he had with HBO executives, Matt recalled their excitement about expanding the Batman universe through both the trilogy and the spin-offs. The freedom to flesh out Gotham City’s underworld in TV series means that not all storylines must be saved for the big screen.

With The Batman: Part II set to hit the 2025 movie release schedule, fans can gear up for a deeper dive into Bruce Wayne’s troubled psyche and his relentless quest to rid Gotham of its corruption. While specific plot details are still being kept under wraps, the filmmaker’s comments suggest the sequel will build on the solid foundation laid by the first film. And thanks to The Penguin spin-off series, the heavy lifting of world-building has already been done, allowing the movies to focus more on character development and action. Despite the expanding universe, Reeves remains committed to his original vision of a tightly woven three-film saga.

Colin Farrell's infamous bird-themed bat villain is set to soar on the 2024 TV schedule, giving fans even more of Gotham’s underworld. As for The Batman: Part II, it’s anyone’s guess which villain from the Rogues Gallery will take center stage. Personally, I’m hoping those Mr. Freeze rumors pan out. But, like the rest of us, I’ll just have to wait and see.

The Penguin premieres on HBO Max on September 19, and The Batman can be streamed now with a Max subscription.

While the new DC Universe franchise is planning on introducing its own Batman in the upcoming DC movie The Brave and the Bold, Robert Pattinson’s version of the Caped Crusader still has a bright future ahead of him. Following The Batman’s release in 2022, 2026’s The Batman: Part II will see this take on Gotham City’s vigilante taking center stage again. Director and co-writer Matt Reeves said years back that he intended for this Batman saga to unfold as a trilogy, and while there have been some tweaks to this corner of the DC multiverse along the way, he has confirmed that’s still the “plan.”

Reeves provided this update to Collider, saying that what’s coming up is “sticking very closely to the path we envisioned.” This comes after fans have wondered if the release of The Penguin miseries, which will be streamable with a Max subscription, resulted in the filmmaker needing to change the prior plan he mapped out. As he explained:

So Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot (who doesn’t like being called Penguin) has always been intended to continue being a major player past the events of The Batman, as Matt Reeves was interesting in charting his journey from being Carmine Falcone’s #2 guy to becoming one of Gotham’s most powerful crime bosses, if not at the top of the food chain. Judging by Matt Reeves’ statement, it doesn’t sound like any major plot twists he conceived in The Batman: Part II have been shifted over to The Penguin. Rather, the miniseries functions as an additional chapter in Oz’s life, which makes me all the more intrigued to see how it sets up where we find him in The Batman: Part II.

In addition to Colin Farrell and Robert Pattinson reprising their roles, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis and Jeffrey Wright will respectively return as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Alfred Pennyworth and James Gordon. While no plot details have been disclosed to the public yet, Matt Reeves did recently share that he doesn’t intend to use more “fantastical” villains like Gentleman Ghost. The sequel is expected to begin next April in at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England.

With The Batman: Part II being set for release on October 2, 2026, presumably that means The Batman Part III will come out in 2029 or 2030. Looking ahead much sooner into the future, The Penguin will begin playing on Max next Thursday, September 19.

His name is Oswald Cobb. But everyone in the Gotham crime world refers to him as The Penguin. He’s a seminal villain in the classic Batman Rogue’s Gallery, and has been for decades. When Colin Farrell assumed the role in Matt Reeves’ Oscar-nominated The Batman, he reinterpreted Oz as a manipulative nightclub owner who wields power over the mob bosses in town. Not a lot happens in Gotham without Oz knowing about it. But what Farrell also knows is that Oz hates his nickname, The Penguin.

The Penguin is a riveting new crime thriller arriving on the Max streaming service that expands on the world created by Matt Reeves, and gives Colin Farrell a breathtaking showcase for his magnificent portrayal of Oswald Cobb. We will learn a LOT about Oz throughout the course of the eight-episode run, which begins streaming on Thursday, Sept. 19. Most of that, I need to keep secret, so that you can discover it over the course of the show. But what’s clear, both from the movie and the new show The Penguin, is that Oz hates his criminal nickname. And when I asked Colin Farrell during a recent press day why Oz feels that way about it, the actor told CinemaBlend exclusively:

I hadn’t considered, before watching the new show The Penguin, that there might be reasons why the criminals in Batman’s orbit wouldn’t take pride in the names that they carry in the underworld. The Riddler (Paul Dano) embraces his identity as he tortures Batman (Robert Pattinson) throughout The Batman, signing the notes that he leaves behind at his various crimes.

It’s different with Oz. He views himself as something else, and the nickname The Penguin is used to demean him, because of his limp. Because of his clubbed foot. And because it’s not a name he gave himself. As The Penguin showrunner Lauren LeFranc told CinemaBlend:

He will come to earn the nickname of The Penguin over the course of the eight-episode show, though. From what you can tell in the trailers for The Penguin, Gotham is cleaning up after the flood created by The Riddler, and there’s a power vacuum created by the murder of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro). Multiple families make a play for the head of the table, but Oz has various plans in place, some that involve Sophia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), and the other gangsters of Gotham.

The Penguin fits into a list of upcoming DC television projects, but it’s part of a standalone world from the universe that James Gunn is creating. That world will have upcoming shows like the animated Creature Commandos, and a Lanterns show that’s reportedly eyeing potential cast members. The Penguin, meanwhile, will serve as a bridge between The Batman, and the sequel that Matt Reeves will have in theaters in October 2026. So, be patient.

While there's a lot that we don't know about The Batman Part II, one thing we do know is who is writing it. This is in contrast to the first film, which had more people writing it than most people know.

Everybody wants to receive credit for their work, but in the world of screenwriting, simply doing the work isn’t enough. There are a lot of rules that go into deciding who gets credit for what, which results in the not infrequent case of people doing work, and not ending up in a film’s credits. Such was the case for Mattson Tomlin whose work writing The Batman went officially uncredited, though it got him a job on the sequel.

The issue of credit on the script for The Batman ended up being decided via arbitration, as Mattson Tomlin fought to have his contribution to the film recognized. In the end, he lost that fight, though the man behind Netflix's new Terminator: Zero anime admits that he knew going on that there was a good chance he wouldn’t get credit as director Matt Reeves was upfront about that possibility. Tomlin told THR…

While Tomlin understood the possibility of not getting credit, there was a point in the process where it looked like he might get credit, as his contributions to the overall script were apparently more significant than initially planned. Unfortunately, the credit did not materialize.

While Tomlin certainly wanted his credit, he says he tried to take it all in stride. He got paid for his work, and sometimes that’s how it works. While credits can certainly help make one’s career, the work Tomlin did on The Batman was still key to his future, as it clearly impressed Matt Reeves enough that when it came time to start writing the upcoming DC movie, Tomlin got called first this time. He continued…

Credit certainly won’t be an issue for The Batman Part II. The only question about the script is when it will be done. It’s been so long fans are wondering if The Batman Part II will even happen. Co-star Andy Serkis has said he expects to be filming the Batman sequel in early 2025

We have a long time to wait until Matt Reeves’ anticipated follow up to his critically acclaimed The Batman reaches theaters, giving us ample time to speculate on which classic Batman villain will be showcased in the movie. We know a good deal about the sequel already. We also know that Reeves relied on several villains in his initial movie, and I think The Batman: Part 2 could also weave multiple villains into its narrative.

Given the fact that James Gunn is hard at work on a slew of upcoming DC movies, Warner Bros. moved back the release date for The Batman: Part 2, which will find Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader continuing his efforts to clean up Gotham in the wake of the murder of Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and the devastation unleashed by Edward Nashton (Paul Dano), aka The Riddler.

So far, Matt Reeves has worked to ground his world, and avoid the overly stylized flourishes of, say, Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher’s Batman stories. It’s different than Christopher Nolan’s interpretation. But it also means that some Batman villains would have a hard time fitting into the dark universe being created by Reeves and his team. With that in mind, I’m looking ahead to the anticipated sequel to The Batman, reaching theaters in October 2026, and ranking the villains I think are most likely to appear… starting with the ones who I think are least likely to be a big part of Reeves’ vision.

12. Catwoman

On the surface, bringing Zoe Kravitz back for a sequel to The Batman makes complete sense. When a movie does as well as Matt Reeves’ The Batman, filmmakers generally try and “get the band back together,” and that would include Catwoman. Only, we watched Selina ride off at the end of The Batman, and I’m willing to bet the house that Reeves waits to bring her back.

11. Killer Croc

Batman fans got a chance to see Killer Croc in live-action for the first time in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (different than James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad… and also, not the movie that Ayer wanted to make). But like a few other villains showcased on this list, Croc falls a little too far into the fantasy and sci-fi camp of Batman baddies to pop up in Reeves’ world, in my humble opinion. The villains introduced in The Batman were closer to street-level criminal masterminds, not rare genetic monstrosities with superhuman powers.

10. Bane

Which is part of the reason why I don’t imagine that Matt Reeves would have much interest in Bane, either. The genetically enhanced Bane was comically enlarged in Joel Schumacher’s awful Batman & Robin, and then was brought back down to Earth – and portrayed by Tom Hardy – for Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. I don’t think that Bane is a big enough villain to justify using him again in yet another Batman adaptation, so I’m ranking him far down on my list.

9. Poison Ivy

From here on up, I think these villains are possible, and I’ll get closer and closer to “probable” as we climb the list. Poison Ivy is another character who appeared in the Joel Schumacher movies, and has largely been on the shelf with regard to live-action (outside of Gotham). But Ivy has become VERY popular in the DC fanbase courtesy of animation, and I could see Reeves figuring a way to translate Pamela Isley as an eco-terrorist targeting Gotham following Riddler’s flood.

8. Ra’s al Ghul and/or Talia al Ghul

Here’s another duo that I’m not willing to bet on, because they were so prominently featured in the Nolan Batman trilogy, but they’re so pervasive to the Batman myth that I can almost see Reeves trying to lay some groundwork for their appearance in either The Batman: Part 2 or a future installment. Ra’s al Ghul and his daughter Talia trade in global corruption, and Gotham’s a frequent target of theirs. This was a major theme of The Batman, which easily could be continued (and majorly expanded on) should Reeves want to bring the duo into his universe, and make them part of Bruce Wayne’s trauma.

7. The Riddler

“Gotham loves a comeback story.” Paul Dano’s Riddler was apprehended and jailed in Arkham at the end of The Batman, but that doesn’t mean that Edward’s plans aren’t still in motion. Riddler is a devious, clever antagonist, and he’s now a pawn on a much bigger board. Edward thought, the whole time, that he and Batman were working together to get back at Carmine Falcone. “You inspired me!” he claims. And I think it’s very likely that we keep seeing Riddler in Batman’s story as the sequel expands. Especially once he starts conversing with a fellow inmate, who we will get to momentarily.

6. The Penguin

As of right now, Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobb, aka The Penguin, will be the next character in the Reeves universe to get some screen time. The Penguin will land on the Max streaming service in September, and start to explain what happens to Gotham following the events of The Batman. Because of the emphasis the show will place on Cobb, it’s possible that Reeves doesn’t focus on Penguin, with the show filling in most of the narrative gaps. At the same time, if the show raises Penguin to real prominence in Gotham’s underworld, then Farrell’s villain will have to take a spot near the top of the criminal food chain.

5. The Joker

If you are making a Batman movie, you eventually need The Joker. You can get clever and sidestep the Clown Prince for a little while. But eventually, you are going to want to pit your version of The Dark Knight against his chief nemesis. The Joker (Barry Keoghan) was briefly introduced in The Batman, and also appeared in a widely circulated deleted scene. Will he continue to lurk behind the scenes for yet another movie? Or will Matt Reeves figure out how to make him the main event in The Batman: Part 2? My guess is that he doesn’t act as the main villain, but he (and the Riddler) have a lot more to do in the sequel than expected.

4. Hush

There are a handful of contemporary Batman villains who have become popular in the comics, but aren’t as well known by casual DC fans. Showcasing them in the movie both gives audiences something fresh, and expanding on the myth of Batman in theaters. Hush would be a terrific choice, a villain who has yet to appear in a major live-action Batman movie (and who might actually have been teased in The Batman). Hush … well, let’s just say he has deep connections to Bruce Wayne and his family, has deep connections to The Riddler, and is the kind of street-level criminal that would easily fit into Matt Reeves’ vision of Gotham.

3. The Court of Owls

Because Matt Reeves seems very interested in Penguin, and Carmine Falcone, and Riddler, and all of the criminals pulling strings behind the scenes in Gotham, introducing the Court of Owls for Pattinson’s Batman to combat would be a masterstroke. Do yourself a favor and go read Scott Snyder’s run on Batman: The New 52. It lays out this grand scheme where a criminal organization known as the Court of Owls has been responsible for all hardship in Gotham for centuries. They are all powerful, all knowing… and a terrific foil that Reeves absolutely should use.

2. Two-Face

Over the years, Harvey Dent has become almost as synonymous as The Joker when it comes to legendary Batman villains. Maybe it’s because Dent gives Bruce Wayne a run for his own money in terms of high-profile Gotham power brokers. Or maybe it’s because his downfall is so tragic, and the visualization of Two-Face’s scarred face is so magnificent to behold in live-action. We’ve already speculated that Harvey Dent’s appearance was teased in The Batman when The Riddler did away with the current Gotham district attorney Gil Colson (pictured above). Replacing him with Dent makes so much sense, as does bringing Two-Face into this criminal fold.

1. Mister Freeze

Justice for Victor Fries! Right now, the visualization that appears when you mention Mr. Freeze is probably Arnold Schwarzenegger’s monstrosity from Batman & Robin… a larger-than-life super villain who never met an ice pun he didn’t love. It’s time for someone else to take a more serious swing at Freeze, because his love story is truly tragic, and his unique powers could bring a bold new take on The Batman: Part 2 that would instantly separate it from its predecessor. It’ll be a challenge for Matt Reeves to find a way to ground Victor Fries in tangible modern science. But if the storyteller can crack that element, Mr. Freeze would be a glorious addition to the already colorful landscape painted by Reeves in his first movie.

There's a chance we might learn more about Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part 2 during San Diego Comic-Con 2024. At the very least, we expect to hear more (and see more) from The Penguin at that press event, so follow CinemaBlend for all of our coverage.

As a superhero fan, you never want to hear that a comic book movie is getting delayed. Yes, it could be net positive, as the filmmaker now has more time to tinker on a project and get everything right. But as a potential audience member, it just means a much longer wait for the anticipated story. Such is the case for Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part 2, which recently confirmed that it was pushing its release date back a full year, from October 2025 (already a long way off) to October 2026. The root cause of the delay was the strikes that halted production in the film industry. And now I fear that this film’s delay is going to have an even bigger effect on the larger DC universe that James Gunn is launching with Creature Commandos and Superman. 

“But Matt Reeves’ The Batman isn’t PART of James Gunn’s universe!” Yes, I know. At  the moment, both Reeves’ The Batman and Todd Phillips’ Joker franchise exist as Elseworld film projects, separate from the main continuity but still able to play with DC characters. This means that Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader can face off against a Penguin (Colin Farrell), a Riddler (Paul Dano), a Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz) and a Joker (Barry Keoghan), and Gunn can also use those characters in different projects, if he chooses. It’s believed that audiences will understand enough that Pattinson’s Batman isn’t contributing to the world where David Corenswet is Superman. All should be OK with this layout. 

There is, however, one major project on the slate of upcoming DC movies that undoubtedly is going to be affected by the delay of The Batman: Part 2, and that’s The Brave and the Bold. Currently expected to be helmed by Andy Muschietti (The Flash), The Brave and the Bold will – according to Gunn – explore the dynamic and dysfunctional father-son relationship between Bruce and Damian Wayne. But when might we see that movie, now that The Batman: Part 2 has been pushed to 2026? 

What is The Brave and the Bold? 

When James Gunn was announcing chapter 1 of his and Peter Safran’s massive DC overhaul, they included the title The Brave and the Bold alongside movies such as The Authority, Swamp Thing, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. It is believed that these stories will share DNA and interlock in specific ways. Some of them have even begun the casting process.

The Brave and the Bold will return DC to the realm of Batman and Robin stories for the first time since Joel Schumacher played with the Boy Wonder character in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder and Matt Reeves have leaned into Batman as a loner. Hell, in Snyder’s DC universe, Robin had been killed by the Joker. Brutal. 

But The Brave and the Bold allegedly plans to borrow from a Batman run of comics penned by Grant Morrison, where Bruce Wayne is mentoring a new Robin in the form of his son, Damian Wayne. And Damian, to put it mildly, is a bit of a psycho, having been raised by his mother, Talia al Ghul, and his grandfather, Ra’s ah Ghul. Damian’s training at the hand of the League of Assassins makes him a lethal killer who doesn’t buy into Batman’s “no killing” rule. Their dynamic is unlike anything we have seen on screen before, and will give the actors cast as Bruce Wayne and Damian Wayne a fun interplay to develop. 

Because the Robin in Grant Morrison’s stories is Damian Wayne, this also allows The Brave and the Bold to explore the existence of another character we don’t see nearly enough in DC films (though he has been very active in DC television), and that’s Dick Grayson. The former Robin holds down multiple forts in the DC canon, leading the Teen Titans and fighting crime in Bludhaven as Nightwing. It would be awesome if The Brave and the Bold introduced a fully developed Dick Grayson, who could anchor the rumored Teen Titans movie, help mentor Damian Wayne, and possibly spin off into a Nightwing film, somewhere down the line. 

But when?

Delaying The Batman: Part 2 probably delays The Brave and the Bold.

At the moment, the movies that were part of James Gunn’s impressive slate reveal don’t have release dates (outside of Gunn’s own Superman, hitting theaters on July 11, 2025). When you start to think about the normal timeline of a blockbuster film’s production, you can estimate a two- to three-year window and start to guesstimate release dates. Depending on how many movies Gunn and Safran want to have in theaters in a calendar year, many Batman fans probably anticipated The Brave and the Bold would be targeting a 2026 release date, maybe arriving with The Authority to follow up on the momentum created by 2025’s Superman. 

Now Matt Reeves’ Elseworld feature The Batman: Part 2 is coming out in October of 2026, so does that eliminate the possibility of The Brave and the Bold coming out that year, as well? And maybe even 2027?

It doesn’t make business sense to have competing Batman movies from the same studio crowding the marketplace. Inevitably, interest in one will overshadow interest in the other, with mainstream crowds at least. 

We’re already having the conversation about superhero fatigue at the multiplexes. Will people want to show up for back-to-back Batman movies, even if they are coming from different creators selling different visions? Does WB – the studio that shelved a finished Batgirl movie – want to take that risk?

Putting Reeves’ The Batman: Part 2 in October of 2026 likely means that Summer 2027 is the earliest that WB and DC could introduce The Brave and the Bold into the marketplace. Let’s play out that scenario. WB and DC would have Superman in 2025. Maybe they put The Authority in 2026. And then The Brave and the Bold in 2027. Is one DC movie a year enough to help the studio keep pace with Marvel Studios? Or might Gunn move Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow up on the production cycle, given the fact that recently-cast Milly Alcock is expected to be introduced in Superman? Moving that production up could delay The Brave and the Bold to 2028… or later. 

Maybe there isn’t as much continuity in the planned DC universe as we think, and Gunn isn’t trying to do what Marvel did in its first three phases. These films and stories might operate completely independent of one another, so delaying The Brave and the Bold and the introduction of the DCU’s Batman will have no major impact on the overall world. But from the outside, it always seemed that Matt Reeves’ Batman series (as well as Joker) is something that Gunn inherited because they made WB a lot of money, so he tagged them as Elseworld stories and went back to mapping out his massive world. But pushing The Batman: Part 2 creates logistical ripples that WB can’t ignore, and I fear a delay to 2026 for the Pattinson sequel is going to have a direct effect on Muschietti’s Batman film… which will have a greater effect on the DCU during a crucial stage of introduction and development. 

While the new DC Universe shared continuity will introduce its own Batman with The Brave and the Bold, Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne isn’t going anywhere either. The public was introduced to this take on DC Comics’ Caped Crusader when The Batman was released in March 2022, and the sequel was officially announced a month later. However, this upcoming DC movie has now been hit with a big deal, though it sounds like this is just what the Matt Reeves-helmed sequel needs.

Until today, the plan was for The Batman 2, officially known as The Batman – Part II, to be released on October 3, 2025, but the sequel will now be released on October 2, 2026. In other words, we have to wait an extra year for its arrival, and a little over four and a half years will have passed between the first and second movies. According to Deadline, the release date shift is due to the “aftermath” of last year’s Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a shame we now have to wait even longer for The Batman 2’s arrival, but in the long run, this is surely for the best. The writers and actors strikes sidelined Hollywood for a significant chunk of 2023, and that was always in turn going to affect the development of upcoming projects. In the case of The Batman 2, had the writers strike specifically not happened, then maybe Matt Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin would be done with the script by now, and the former would be deep into preproduction or perhaps even be gearing up to shoot soon.

But the strikes did happen, and as of last month, James Gordon actor Jeffrey Wright said he still hadn’t read The Batman 2’s script. Even on the off chance that Reeves and Tomlinson have finished their writing duties on this project, the delay to late 2026 gives them extra time to polish the script and ensure it’s the best it can be. Plus, history has shown that rushed productions rarely turn out well, so had Warner Bros. tried to force The Batman 2 into shooting later this year, the overall product might not have turned out nearly as well as its predecessor did (CinemaBlend’s The Batman review awarded the movie 4.5 out of 5 stars).

As Deadline also noted in its writeup, The Batman 2 shifting from 2025 to 2026 gives it some distance from Superman, the first DC Universe movie, which is slated for July 2025. Had the sequel stuck with its original release date, the two movies would have come out within three months of each other. So while multiple superhero movies coming out in the same year isn’t anything special (after all, The Batman came out the same year as Black Adam), I wouldn’t fault the studio for wanting to give two of DC Comics’ most popular superheroes some breathing room in the cinematic space.

The good news is that even though The Batman 2 is now on the 2026 theatrical calendar, we don’t have to wait that long to revisit this version of Gotham City. Later this year, the spinoff limited series The Penguin will premiere to Max subscribers, and we’ll get to see the kind of trouble Colin Farrell’s Oswald Cobblepot gets into in The Batman’s immediate aftermath. There’s also still a GCPD series in development, but it’s also important to note that the previously-announced Arkham Asylum series Reeves is producing on will take place in the DC Universe rather than The Batman’s continuity as initially assumed.

Keep your eyes peeled on CinemaBlend for more news on The Batman 2 and its associated projects. In addition to being available on Max, The Batman can also currently be streamed with a Netflix subscription.

One of the most original and exciting superhero movies in recent years has to be Matt Reeves’ The Batman. The 2022 movie, which stars Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, created a rich world surrounding the vigilante and his home of Gotham City. Fans have known since August 2022 that Reeves and Pattinson are returning for The Batman - Part II, of which some details are known. But where is the production ahead of its 2025 release date? Well, Jeffrey Wright just shared what he knows about the sequel, and it’s not the update I was hoping for. 

The actor, who memorably played GCPD officer James Gordon in The Batman, attended the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday after being nominated for Best Actor for his work in American Fiction. When he was asked about the latest on Part II, he said: 

While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Jeffrey Wright revealed that he’s yet to see a script for the sequel, which probably means that Matt Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin are still hammering down the story and dialogue. If you're like me, then you'll probably find that to be a bit of a bummer, given that means filming hasn't started and there's no indication as to when it may begin. Wright also had this to say: 

Jeffrey Wright may not know what’s next for Gordon, but the actor sounds very excited to step back into the world of Gotham alongside Robert Pattinson. Right now, we don’t know much about casting aside from Pattinson’s return, though I'm curious if Barry Keoghan will step back in the makeup chair for his Joker after his small appearance in The Batman. 

While it was previously reported about a year ago that The Batman - Part II might begin filming in November 2023 that was before the 2023 WGA writers strike shook up Hollywood in a big way. Due to that work stoppage, writers were at a standstill from May 1 to late September. So it's more than likely that that had a huge impact on the development of the sequel.

That being said, the film is all set to be released on October 3, 2025, as part of the list of upcoming DC movies. This update makes a little uneasy, as I don't want to see this become one of those major superhero movies that comes against a hard deadline and doesn't have enough time to percolate. Let's hope that filming gets started sooner rather than later and that the finished flick lives up to its predecessor.

At least while we wait for The Batman - Part II (alongside Jeffrey Wright), we can look forward to the Colin Farrell-led spinoff series The Penguin first. That's expected to start streaming in 2024.  

With the arrival of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as one of the final 2023 movie releases, the DC Extended Universe era will come to an end, and from the ashes will rise the new DC Universe’s Chapter One slate. In the midst of this though, Matt Reeves’ The Batman saga, which takes place in its own universe, will continue running, with The Batman: Part II set to arrive in late 2025 and the spinoff TV show The Penguin headed to Max subscribers sometime in 2024. However, DC Studios co-president James Gunn has now revealed that Reeves is also contributing to the DC Universe, and I’m honestly surprised how it’s happening.

Those of you who’ve been following along with the goings on of The Batman saga will recall that in March 2022, the same time Robert Pattinson’s debut as the Caped Crusader was released, Reeves revealed that he was putting together an upcoming DC TV show about Arkham Asylum, the institution where many of Batman’s villains are incarcerated. Naturally it was assumed that this Arkham show would take place in The Batman world, but that’s not the case at all, with Gunn telling a fan on Threads who mentioned the series while inquiring about if Reeves had any other “Batverse” projects in the works:

Well that’s quite the curveball. Given that The Batman easily laid the groundwork for an Arkham show by having Paul Dano’s Riddler locked up there and quickly making friends with Barry Keoghan’s Joker, I’m taken aback learning that this upcoming Batman TV show won’t have anything to do with those characters, but instead take place within the DC Universe. It’s likely this was a creative pivot that occurred sometime after The Batman’s release rather than the plan the entire time, though I’d be curious to learn how this decision was reached. I’m also wondering if Gunn’s use of “for now” means that another series tied to The Batman could be announced at some point, or if the pause button has been indefinitely been paused on such projects.

The only major detail concerning this Arkham Asylum show that’s been shared with the public is that Antonio Campos, creator of the Max miniseries The Staircase, will serve as showrunner, per Variety. However, now that we know this series will take place within the DC Universe, that means it will be connected to the Andy Muschietti-directed The Brave and the Bold. That upcoming Batman movie will see Bruce Wayne teaming up with his son, Damian Wayne, but it hasn’t been announced yet who will play those characters.

Creature Commandos, Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, Booster Gold and Peacemaker Season 2 are the other confirmed TV shows set in the DC Universe, and there will surely be more to follow. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for updates on their progress, and be sure to learn what upcoming DC movies are officially lined up.

The WGA Strike is over, and while movies that need actors on set are still stalled due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, movies that still need scripts can see writers get back to work as of now. One of the most anticipated corners of Hollywood that’s still in early production is the newly rebooted DCU, So what is going on with DC’s flagship heroes, Superman and Batman, and their next big screen adventures?

Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2 release date had been announced for October 2025 in a post-pandemic and pre-writer’s strike world, while James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is currently set to open in the summer of that same year. But in order for both movies to hit those dates, they’re going to need to be going into production soon. And that means they need completed scripts. 

The State Of Superman: Legacy

The good news for Superman fans is that James Gunn had actually completed a script for Superman: Legacy prior to the writer’s strike. That rebooted Superman script was reportedly just a first draft, but now that the strike is over, Gunn can now dive into the editing process. And there’s still plenty of time for the screenplay to be ready to go ahead of a planned production start in the spring.

That production start will (obviously) require a resolved actors strike by, but there’s plenty of time for that to happen. And since several of the issues at hand in the writer’s strike are the same as those the actors are dealing with, there is now a template for a resolution that, at least in theory, could bring the actor’s strike to a close in the short term.

What’s Happening With Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2?

The state of The Batman 2 is a bit murkier at this point. Matt Reeves has discussed that he is currently at work on the Batman sequel script, and a recent Variety report indicates that a finished script is high on the priority list for Warner Bros., which makes it clear there isn’t one just yet. At one point production on The Batman 2 was expected to start as early as this November, but if there isn’t even a first draft of a script yet (and with the actor’s strike still ongoing) that seems unlikely.

The good news is that with The Batman 2 set to open three months after Superman: Legacy, there’s still time to get the movie in front of cameras, in order to get post-production done in time to hit the October date.

It won't be surprising to see one or both of the release dates pushed back if only because studios are going to have a lot of movies to schedule between all the films set to begin production alongside all the movies that saw productions halted due to the strikes. But considering how important Superman and Batman are to WB, we can expect these films won't be waiting any longer than absolutely necessary.

Last year, The Batman delivered The Riddler’s first live-action film appearance since Jim Carrey brought the supervillain to life in 1995’s Batman Forever. However, outside of a love of green clothing and their penchant for feeding riddles to law enforcement and the Caped Crusader, these two versions of the character couldn’t have been more different, with Paul Dano’s Riddler being a serial killer targeting Gotham City’s corrupt officials and elite power players. It was certainly one of the more intense performances from the Batman movies canon, and according to writer/director Matt Reeves, one of Riddler’s key scenes was shot over “70 or 80 takes.”

Speaking with The Guardian for a profile about Dano’s career on behalf of his 2023 new movie release Dumb Money, Reeves boasted about how the actor shared his strong commitment to ensuring that a scene unfolded just the right way, describing the man who brought Edward Nashton to life as "indefatigable.” In the filmmaker’s words:

The scene Matt Reeves is referring to is when Robert Pattinson’s Batman is interrogating Riddler at Arkham State Hospital, with the villain having been apprehended shortly after he assassinated crime lord Carmine Falcone. This was Batman’s first chance to finally understand what makes this man who’s been theorizing Gotham City for weeks tick, and it turns out that his own vigilante activities are what inspired Edward to kill the people he believed were poisoning Gotham City. By the end of their heated conversation, he learns that Edward has one more trick left up his sleeve: flooding Gotham by blowing up the city’s seawall, then sending his followers to assassinate mayor-elect Bella Reál.

That scene was just one example of how far Paul Dano was willing to go to deliver the best Riddler performance in The Batman. As Matt Reeves continued below, he’d often find himself taken aback, in a good way, by acting choices Dano would make in the spur of the moment:

While Batman couldn’t stop Gotham’s seawall from being destroyed, he was able to save Bella Reál and take down Riddler’s followers with Catwoman’s help. This climactic conflict also made Bruce Wayne realize that he needed to do more than just strike fear into the hearts of criminals; he also needed to inspire hope in the city’s citizens. As for Riddler, while he remains locked up in Arkham, he befriended a fellow inmate in the final minutes of the movie: Barry Keoghan’s Joker, who was more openly shown in a deleted scene. Whether or not we’ll see either of these characters in The Batman: Part II or the Arkham tie-in series remains to be seen.

Revisit Riddler’s reign of terror by streaming The Batman with your Max subscription. That platform is also where Colin Farrell’s The Penguin series will premiere sometime in 2024, and The Batman: Part II is slated on the upcoming DC movies schedule for October 3, 2025.

James Gunn and Peter Safran’s big-screen DCU is about to take shape, with characters like Superman and Blue Beetle already set to join it. As that franchise gets off the ground though, fans surely remember that DC Studios has an excellent separate continuity on its hands. I’m talking about the world of The Batman, which was created by writer/director Matt Reeves. Fans are anxiously awaiting specific details on the sequel and, as of right now, they’ve been few and far between. Take heart, though, Bat-fans, Reeves himself has provided an update on the next film and dropped a few tidbits regarding one of his main goals for the production. 

The Batman – Part II (or The Batman 2) is set to continue the story of Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne as he continues his crusade against crime in Gotham City. Matt Reeves has seemed very enthusiastic about telling more stories within this world, and he’s quite proud of what he and his colleagues accomplished with the first film. He recently recalled some of his behind-the-scenes experiences while appearing on the Team Deakins podcast. While discussing that sweet chase scene involving the Batmobile, he shouted out his colleagues, before he mentioned the upcoming follow-up film:

So it would seem that the next installment in the series is still in the writing phase, which makes sense. Of course, what has me the most excited is the fact that the Cloverfield helmer and his collaborators are indeed looking to push the envelope with this one. That’s saying a lot given what they did with the OG flick. On the one hand, the filmmaker is surely referring to heightened action sequences and set pieces. And on the other, there’s likely increased stakes for the titular hero and those in his orbit. The Batman had incredible action, but the drama present amongst the characters was particularly gripping. So I’m very curious to see how the creative team top themselves. 

One of the things we know about The Batman – Part II is that Matt Reeves is penning the screenplay with Mattson Tomlin, who did uncredited work on its 2022 predecessor. Though Reeves hasn’t spoken too much about his work on this latest film, he did reveal one mistake that he seeks to avoid with the sequel. He’s aiming not to overload the story with villains and essentially have the Dark Knight take a backseat in the process. Speaking of the Rogues Gallery, rumors have been swirling on that front. One of the most recent reports alleges that Joel Edgerton and Josh Hartnett are in the running for Two-Face. That’s far from confirmed, of course, but the notion of either one playing the role is intriguing. 

What we can say with certainty in regard to baddies and the franchise’s future is that it'll also expand with The Penguin, a TV spinoff centered on the seedy crime boss Colin Farrell plays. The trailer teased the villain's war to control Gotham and, though we haven’t seen much, what was revealed looks promising. The ongoing writers strike could change things, but the show is set to debut in 2024 (and will be streamable with a Max subscription). 

We still have some time before we get to the second chapter in the saga’s main story, though I’m willing to wait. Matt Reeves, Greig Fraser and their team already seem to know what they want for the upcoming feature, and I’d rather them take their time with pre-production. Let’s hope they are indeed able to hit their goal of upping the ante for their next superhero outing.

The Batman – Part II is scheduled to open in theaters on October 3, 2025 and, while you wait, you can stream the first film on Max. Also, check out the schedule of 2023 new movie releases for news on films arriving by the end of this year.

Two cars that have made a significant impact on the zeitgeist are Barbie’s signature pink Corvette and the Batmobile. Upon first glance these two vehicles have literally nothing else in common, I actually think you couldn’t find two cars that are more different. However, when it comes to Greta Gerwig’s pink Barbie Corvette and Matt Reeves’ Batmobile for Robert Pattison’s The Batman they actually have one major similarity because they were designed by the same people. Now, the director of the Barbie movie is opening up about how the cars’ designers felt about going from the dark world of Gotham to candy-colored Barbie Land. 

Seeing as Barbie’s Corvette is heavily featured in the Barbie trailer, Gerwig discussed the bright pink vehicle while on stage at CinemaCon. During the panel, the director commented on the designers who were hired for the movie, saying that coming off of The Batman they were “psyched” to work on a completely different, extremely bright car. She explained:

And they sure did it! I would have never guessed that the same people behind Barbie’s iconic car also designed the Batmobile, talk about range. However, the quality of the cars, and the detail involved with creating the fictional vehicles feels similar, and I’m overjoyed that the designers were so excited to “get that pink paint out.” 

One of The Batman’s production designers (who didn't work on Barbie) James Chinlund is one of the masterminds behind Robert Pattinson’s Batmobile. He explained to Collider that the iconic car was one of the first things designed for Matt Reeves’ movie. Like Barbie, those “tactile” elements were vital to the DC movie. Also, in the behind-the-scenes facts revealed about The Batman, it was explained that there were actually four Batmobiles created for the iconic car chase, which you can watch for yourself with an HBO Max subscription. So, clearly, they cared about having versatile cars on set, and it seems like that mentality was also brought over to Gerwig's movie with Joe Howard having worked on both the DC and Mattel sets.

So, details were everything on The Batman, and as Gerwig explained, the same was true for her film on the 2023 movie schedule. She went on to talk about how she felt when she saw Barbie Land for the first time, saying: 

For both movies (and likely Reeves' sequel The Batman: Part II), it’s abundantly clear how vital production design is in the story. They both recreate fictional worlds that people have dreamed of for years, and it’s important to them and the fans to get these visions right. Gerwig touched on this idea too, saying:

Based on both what we’ve seen of Barbie as well as what we know about The Batman, especially the Batmobile, it seems like a guarantee that we’ll be in for a treat when we’re transported to Barbie Land on July 21. From the cars to the costumes to the sets it really does feel like a dream world, and we have the designers of the Batmobile to partially thank for that.