As soon as credits began rolling on The Batman, so did the rumor mill about when The Batman, Part II would hit theaters. Every nerd on the planet knew Matt Reeves could not allow that film to end with just a singular offering.
However, it has felt that way with what is now the third delay since that amazing film ended. At CinemaCon 2022, WBD motion picture major domo Toby Emmerich joyously announced that The Batman was coming back to the big screen. Then, Matt Reeves said this from the stage:
"Thank you all for your tremendous support for The Batman. We couldn’t have gotten here without the faith and enthusiasm of all your teams around the world. I’m excited to jump back into this world for the next chapter," Matt Reeves told Deadline in April 2022.
Amid the ballyhoo of other CBMs and other nerd-laden entertainment like Black Adam, Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom set to be released, we were told the sequel would be pushed back an entire year caused by the Hollywood writers' strike.
There goes 2024, and then again, because of a lackluster script and the whole DC Studios world-altering change thing, 2025 flies by. That delay would not have mattered much, but how did those aforementioned movies go? Yeah. And then there's this about The Batman, Part II...
James Gunn sewing up loose ends
Easily, one of those most endearing qualities about the DC spokesperson is that he actually speaks. Before James Gunn, the entire DC fandom was kept in suspense and placed in a dark corner. We never knew a thing. Once James Gunn got here, social media became his sandbox. The guy owns it out there, and does it all for the haphazardous DC brand.
All it takes to get an answer about a rumor or prevent some meandering down a dreary rabbit hole is to ask. That's what Reel Anarchy did about the unfortunate idea of The Batman, Part II being delayed again.
James Gunn says the reason for The Batman Part 2 delay is because there's still no script. pic.twitter.com/siWk9tfTXO
— Home of DCU (@homeofdcu) December 27, 2024
A few notes of concern with Gunn's answer:
1. It's 2025 and there is still no full script. Nerds can be patient when they want to be. Yet, it's been two full years. And yet, nothing has landed on James Gunn's or Peter Safran's desk for review. That's agonizing. Furthermore, if you check IMDB for what's on Matt Reeves' slate, he's juggling nine sizable projects.
- The Batman, Part II -- writer and director
- Clayface, Dynamic Duo, Cloverfield sequel, Mouse Guard, The Wrecking Crew, God's Country, and Way Station -- producer
Essentially, Reeves is at the business end of all those projects but one. The only film requiring his creative juices is the main one everyone cares to see the most. Business can be delegated, as we have seen in nerd circles. (Kathleen Kennedy, we're looking at you.) So will someone at WBD help the man delegate so we can get this movie in theaters?!
2. Once the final script has been delivered, it's two more years! Holy Rip Van Winkle, Batman. It seems 2027 is looking like a gift now.
James Gunn explains away delay on The Batman sequel
Gunn is the master of this brand. Consider Safran the "producer" of DC Comics and Gunn as the "director." And as the creative side of things, people want to hear his ideas and opinions. He knows this, so the one answer wasn't enough.
"To be fair, a 5 year gap or more is fairly common in sequels. 7 years between Alien and Aliens. 14 years between Incredibles. 7 years between the first two Terminators. 13 years between Avatars. 36 years between Top Guns. And, of course, 6 years between Guardians Vol 2 and Vol 3," Gunn explained on Threads.
There are differences between those examples. Top Gun was about a "legacyquel." So was Aliens. For Terminator and Incredibles, it was about building the foundation of interest that could construct the next film. And Avatar, who the H-E-double-hockeysticks knows what James Cameron is thinking. Five trips to Pandora? C'mon.
Now, the trip back to Gotham for The Batman, Part II is scheduled for October 2027. Pre-production should be slated for Summer 2025. Yet, that is only if there is a finished script, which is about as vague as a new title for the film.
One last note of holiday cheer: Pattinson and Ferrell are confirmed to return as Batman and Penguin, respectively. Serkis is mostly returning as Pennyworth. Yet, still no word on Zoe Kravitz to continue as Catwoman.
Me-YOW!