Filming on the highly anticipated DC outing The Batman Part II has now been delayed to 2024, and will no longer commence this November as originally planned. As revealed in a report by Midgard Times, The Batman sequel instead will not go before cameras until March next year with the delay likely being caused by the ongoing writers strike. A strike that both director and writer Matt Reeves and his fellow writer Mattson Tomlin have been directly involved in. The pair were recently seen joining the picket line alongside the rest of the WGA, who are calling for better pay and working conditions.
The Batman Part II will once again find Tenet star Robert Pattinson under the famous cape and cowl and, much like its predecessor, shooting is set to take place in the United Kingdom. Thankfully, the delay is unlikely to affect the planned release date for the comic book movie follow-up, which is currently scheduled for 3 October, 2025.
Directed by Matt Reeves, the 2022 hit The Batman received high marks from critics and sold over $770 million worldwide. The movie tells Bruce Wayne's story from a different angle, showing him investigating Gotham's corruption and questioning his family's involvement. Given the movie's popularity, Warner Bros. confirmed the production of a sequel to the story and a few spinoff series.
Warner Bros. Discovery has been working on a 10-year plan for the DC Universe, which should unify the brand. The news may seem exciting for fans, but it is also true that the future of the franchise has seemed hazy after the company began scrapping projects in favor of its current strategy. Luckily, in a new interview with Collider, Reeves confirms he's hard at work on The Batman 2. After jokingly discussing the film's status, Reeves offered an accurate update on the progress of the upcoming sequel.
"We're deep in it and my partner and I are writing, Mattson [Tomlin] and I are writing, and it's really exciting, and I'm really excited about what we're doing."
The Future of the DCU
Among DC Studio's most recent updates is hiring James Gunn and Peter Safran as storyline experts for films, TV, and video games. Although no official announcements have yet been made, the new co-heads of the studio have already made some controversial decisions. In addition to canceling the next Wonder Woman movie, Henry Cavill will no longer be playing Superman, and Jason Momoa will not be returning as Aquaman.
It is good news that Matt Reeves has signed a multi-year contract with Warner Bros. Discovery, suggesting that more of his stories will be released in the near future. During his recent Collider interview, Reeves talked about his experience making The Batman and all the elements he was most excited about.
"I knew we were challenging the audience in this type of world's greatest detective side because it was going to be a very complex narrative and it turned out they love that part of it was one of the things that tested best. So that part was a great thing to learn which was that actually the audience would be excited about this version of movie and not only continue to get better as we continue to test."
In addition, he noted that he’s really excited to be working with Robert Pattinson and described the actor as a "special person." Reeves' statements give us comfort that Pattinson will likely return as Batman for the foreseeable future unless the company decides to take a different route.