The Batman Part II gets unfortunate filming update

It seems the only thing that can stop The Dark Knight is a union of screenwriters going toe to toe with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Yet another DC production has been unable to get past the ongoing 2023 (WGA) Writers Guild of America Strike unscathed.

According to Collider, The Batman – Part II once again helmed by Matt Reeves as director and its co-writer alongside Mattson Tomlin has experienced delays. Initially expected to begin filming this November, another outlet in the Midgard Times reported principal photography will now take place in March 2024.

Will The Batman Part II release date be delayed?

At this time, DC has not shifted the film’s release date; however, it is not out of the question that The Batman Part II could be delayed as a result of shift in the filming timeline.

This is not the first this DC-related project set within “The Batman Universe” (rolled into DC Elseworlds outside of the DCU) was met with delays. The Batman was initially set for June 25, 2021, but was pushed back and then received heavy delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the (AMPTP) Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers being stringent upon their negotiations in fair pay of writers causing a rift that has yet to yield in regard to the WGA, there is no telling when this strike may cease. It could persist for several months as it has been going on for more than six weeks now at the time this editorial is published.

The screenplay most likely has been completed before the strike began, at least a couple or a few drafts in, although if there are any sort of adjustments that need to be made if a person is considered a “multi-hyphenate” i.e. writer-producers, showrunners, etc. writer-directors which Reeves is considered then he/she can “tweak” plot, dialogue, and stage directions so long as it is not performed for a struck company.

The Penguin suffers delay due to the writers’ strike

While a whole entire industry within the entertainment landscape has been affected by the 2023 WGA Strike, this is not the only DC Studios production that has been affected, but also The Penguin for Max. Filming began on March 1 under the working title “Boss” principal photography was initially supposed to carry on until at least August but production was suspended for the duration of the strike due to picketing.

In another blast from the past, one Batman film becomes one of the utmost highly-praised superhero films of all time as a result of the writers’ strike. Yes, peeps one of those pure gems from this larger-than-life game that has dominated the film industry recently in the last two decades came from the 1988 WGA Strike. “But that means…” you say… yes. That’s right, folks, we mean Batman (1989).

The 1988 WGA Strike has been recorded to be the longest strike against the AMPTP in history being over five months. At the time there was one core factor that history seemed to have repeated itself which remained a constant… residuals. Only this time in the digital age the streaming giants are gradually stepping into the place of network TV.

How did the 88’ WGA Strike affect Batman ’89?

Whilst there is a lot this writer does not want to give a great deep dive into the impact of the writers’ strike that is somewhat a reflection of what is happening now details of which are contained via Collider and in Tim Burton’s autobiography Burton on Burton the summary is Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman Returns) submitted a draft script before the strike. Burton, acknowledging the script needed work still brought in additional writers to adjust the script during filming.

He brought in writers Warren Skaaren (Beverly Hills Cop II, Beetle Juice), Jonathan Gems (Mars Attacks!) a British playwright and screenwriter known for writing unproduced screenplays for the Sleepy Hollow filmmaker, and finally Charles McKeown (Plunkett & Macleane), another scribe as well as an actor associated with Monty Python’s Flying Circus Group.

Due to refusing to commit to further rewrites due to the strike (as he should), Sam Hamm received “Story by” credit in addition to joint “Screenplay by” credit with Skaaren. Burton stated: “We started out with a script that everyone liked, although we recognized it needed a little work. Everyone thought the script was great, but they still thought it needed a total rewrite.”