Matt Reeves' blockbuster The Batman is "likely" to be delayed as a result of its current production stoppage stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report from Variety.
The trade mentions several high-profile movies, including The Batman, The Matrix 4, and Red Notice, that were forced to suspend production, before going on to say "there's an outside chance these films might even make their original release dates, although it is more likely they will be moved back."
When the Showbiz Bible says there's "an outside chance," I'd translate that into a 25 percent possibility that The Batman will open as planned on its current release date of June 25, 2021. Reeves had completed nearly seven weeks of filming before being forced to shut down. Meanwhile, The Matrix 4 is due to hit theaters on May 21, 2021, and post-production will likely be extensive due to the number of visual effects, so director Lana Wachowski has even less time than Reeves to finish her movie.
As for Rawson Marshall Thurber's big-budget action movie Red Notice, stars Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds had already been filming for two months in Atlanta. Netflix movies typically don't require a year-long marketing campaign, but it still seems unlikely we'll see that movie before the end of the year, which was the streamer's initial plan.
Elsewhere, Mission: Impossible 7 could also see its release date of July 23, 2021 pushed back, as Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise were about to start shooting in Venice, Italy before that country was hit hard by the coronavirus, forcing them to delay production and possibly go back to the drawing board, given the sequel's Italian setting. Disney, on the other hand, is still moving forward with plans to start shooting Marvel's Doctor Strange sequel in June, with pre-production currently under way, albeit remotely.
Of course, no final decisions have been made just yet, so stay tuned to see whether Warner Bros. actually decides to delay The Batman and/or The Matrix 4. For more updates on The Batman, watch our Collider Connected interview with composer Michael Giacchino right here.