Why hasn’t The Batman 2 been made yet?

As whispers of another delay for Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2 loom, we question the production status for the Elseworlds sequel.

When Matt Reeves unleashed The Batman in 2022, he and Robert Pattinson debuted a younger, fresh-out-the-cave Dark Knight for audiences itching to return to Gotham City. Despite trepidation about the former Twilight star slipping on the cape and cowl, The Batman exceeded expectations by offering a grittier take on Bats, complete with a serial killer-like version of The Riddler, played by Paul Dano. The Batman set the stage for Colin Farrell’s Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb, too, leading to a successful spin-off series with Cristin Milioti stealing the show as the vindictive Sofia Falcone. With so many chess pieces in position for a checkmate, a question remains: Where is The Batman 2?

As we continue to hear updates and rumblings about James Gunn and Peter Safran’s roadmap for the DCU’s Gods and Monsters arc, a sequel to Reeves’ Elseworlds Batman film remains in the shadows. While nothing is definitive, recent reports, such as today’s post from World of Reel, indicate another delay for The Batman 2, which had scheduled a mid-2025 production start. Oddly, nothing is on the books for the next chapter of Reeves’ Bat-plan. Watercooler whispers suggest the delay is due to scripting issues, with Gunn saying in June that the screenplay isn’t ready. When asked about the script’s status on Threads earlier this week, Gunn said the script’s status remains in flux. “I think that report was well-intentioned but it was mistaken. We are very much looking forward to it.”

The Batman 2 has Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell returning, though scheduling could delay production beyond the new year. While Reeves continues to fine-tune the sequel’s screenplay, star players in his Batman universe continue to make movies. Robert Pattinson, for example, is re-teaming with Christopher Nolan for the event film director’s next mysterious feature-length project, limiting his availability. Meanwhile, Pattinson’s next film is Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, an off-kilter sci-fi comedy about an “expendable” who goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet.

While making movies is challenging, and everything takes time, it’s wild to think that Colin Farrell’s The Penguin series has come and gone without mention of when fans can expect the story to continue in The Batman 2. Typically, studios prefer to line projects up like a path of dominoes, each pushing the next until the big picture reveals itself. With no updates for The Batman in several months, fans could find themselves perched on the Gotham Cathedral, scanning the city for signs of the Bat for quite some time.

When do you think The Batman 2 will roll into production? Who do you want to see as the primary villain of the sequel? Scarecrow? Clayface? Poison Ivy? The Ventriloquist? Scarface? Let us know in the comments section below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He’s also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You’ll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.