While WB was quick to announce that The Batman would be getting a sequel at this year’s CinemaCon, Variety is reporting that despite the hype, the film does not officially have a green light. While both director Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson are expected to return, and The Batman 2 seems very likely to happen, Variety notes that the project is still “in development” and likely years away from coming out.
Walter Hamada, head of the DC division at Warner Bros, had also planned for a spin-off series featuring Colin Ferrell’s Penguin for their HBOMax streaming service with Reeves directing. Unfortunately, the recent merger would now likely have Hamada stepping down and new CEO David Zaslav shaking things up in DC-land. Zaslav has been public about wanting to follow Marvel head-honcho Kevin Feige’s example and map out in advance the direction in which they want to take the DC cinematic universe. The new management has already shaken up a lot of film and TV projects – including notoriously cancelling the near-completed Batgirl movie – but most of the already-announced projects are seemingly still moving forward, including James Gunn’s second season of Peacemaker.
The Batman came out to acclaim from critics and fans alike with a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and earning $770 million dollars globally. The movie sported a few easter eggs and clues that could potentially set up stories for future sequels. One of them just happened to be a tease of the Joker being integrated into this separate universe with his own stories with this Dark Knight. Hype even started building when Reeves released a deleted scene featuring Pattinson’s Batman interrogating an obscured Joker.
All things considered, The Batman 2 will still likely go-forward, despite all of the behind the scenes drama. A movie that grosses $770 million despite a close to three-hour running time is a success that can’t be argued with. All that said though, don’t expect The Batman 2 in theatres for at least another three years or so.
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