Fans of DC’s The Batman may have to wait a long time for the sequel, and we’re talking a really long time. According to a recent report from Variety, The Batman 2 is not expected to release until at least 2025.
Matt Reeves’The Batman released in March of this year, and development of a sequel has been underway ever since the first film was met with tremendous praise and success. In April, Warner Bros. announced a sequel was in the making, which will feature the return of Matt Reeves as director and Robert Pattinson as Batman. The decision to postpone the sequel likely comes as a result of the recent appointment of James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOS of DC Studios. Their appointment has affected the status of numerous other DC projects, with some being put on hold or even canceled, such as Batgirl and The Wonder Twins. There had been some concern that The Batman 2 would be put on the chopping block as well, but thankfully the sequel is safe from dismissal, as it has been confirmed that Matt Reeves is currently writing the script alongside Mattson Tomlin.
Matt Reeves recently signed a deal with DC Studios, and is planning on creating a separate universe for his future projects, referred to as “The Batverse”. This will allow for more Batman films and spinoffs to operate independently of the cinematic universe that Gunn and Safran plan on forming. In an interview with The Cyber Nerds, Reeves explained what he hopes for the future of Batman:
“Batman's story never ends. It's not as if crime is ever going to end, or corruption is ever going to end in Gotham City. It was important that this story, even though I wanted to end in a complete sort of - beginning, middle, end - so that you had the experience, it had to end in a way that you knew it went on, because even if I wasn't going to make another movie, Batman's story continues. He is doomed and compelled to continue to go on this journey to become this iconic hero. And what's exciting is that if the audience embraces this movie, and it feels hopefully like they will, because Rob is amazing, then we'll be able to tell more of those stories.”
A 2025 release for The Batman 2 seems like a long time for fans to wait, but a three-year gap between sequels and the original film is pretty standard for most major franchises. It likely will take Reeves another year to finish the script, and an additional year to finish filming and production. Matt Reeves and DC Studios are expected to provide updates on The Batman 2 once more progress is made.
The Batman is directed by Matt Reeves and stars Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, and others. It follows Batman’s adventures into the underworld as he tries to unmask a killer and bring justice to the corruption and abuse of power that has long-plagued Gotham City.