After seeing Robert Pattinson's The Batman - Part II officially confirmed to go into development under the new DC Universe (DCU) Elseworlds banner, director Matt Reeves shared his thoughts on the exciting announcement.
While DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran shared a massive new slate as part of the core DCU, which will go under the "Chapter 1: Gods and Monsters" banner, the pair allowed for other stories to be told in the Elseworlds category as well. This will open the door for movies and TV shows like The Batman 2 that take place in other universes to flourish and live on outside of the main timeline as the boundaries of DC storytelling are pushed.
With many concerned that Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's efforts would be left by the wayside under the new DCU, Gunn, and Safran made sure that this story will get its due time in the spotlight after winning at the box office and with critics.
Now, Reeves offered his first reaction to the news, sharing what he looks forward to seeing as his world of Gotham is revisited in the next couple of years.
The Batman 2 Director Hypes Sequel Announcement
The Batman director Matt Reeves took to Twitter to share his reaction to the announcement that his movie would continue into a sequel, which was recently titled The Batman - Part II.
Along with three bat emojis and a smiling emoji, Reeves only used three words to tease what's on the way with his second solo Batman outing featuring Robert Pattinson - "EPIC. CRIME. SAGA."
Collider also reported on the news, noting that The Batman 2 was looking at a 2025 release date before the official announcement came from DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Gunn confined that Reeves is already hard at work on the sequel, which is being described as "a Batman Crime Saga" that also includes Colin Farrell's Penguin series on HBO Max:
“Matt is working on [The Batman sequel], which he thinks of as a Batman Crime Saga, which also includes [The Penguin] series, and it is its own thing. He’s hard at work on that. He came in and pitched us some amazing, really cool stuff the other day. So our plan is for that to continue.”
The official DC website celebrated the news, confirming that the movie will release on October 3, 2025.
Safran made it clear that this story isn't just an off-shoot or "stepchild" of the main DC Universe, noting the studio's full investment into seeing the sequel succeed:
"Also, 'The Batman’s' not a stepchild. It’s all under DC. We are fully invested in the success of 'The Batman' just like we are everything else."
Gunn added to those comments by noting that The Brave and the Bold, DC's Batman movie in the core DCU timeline, won't be coming out within the same six-month span as The Batman 2:
"Of course, everything’s going to be balanced so 'The Brave and the Bold' is not going to be coming out in the same six month period as 'The Batman.'"
Matt Reeves Ready to Go on The Batman 2
The Batman became one of DC's biggest successes in 2022, earning more than $770 million at the global box office and earning some of the best critic reviews of any DC movie in a long time. A sequel was announced for development only a few weeks after the original came to theaters, and even as James Gunn and Peter Safran looked to bring a new flavor to the DCU, they ensured that Robert Pattinson and Matt Reeves hadn't seen their last days with the Caped Crusader.
This movie will be the second big-screen outing for the franchise in 2025 after July's Superman: Legacy, allowing Robert Pattinson to move further into his crime-fighting career after his Year 1 story was told in the first movie. And with Reeves sharing his unbridled joy for the opportunity to be back in the DC Universe, he's already set to add more huge storylines to Bruce Wayne's growing legacy.
Turning this franchise into an entire crime saga opens doors to some intense new journies for Batman, who dove deep into the criminal underworld in the first movie by uncovering the inner workings of Salvatore Marone and the Penguin's dealings.
Now, the sequel will have the chance to see Bruce Wayne rebuild Gotham to its former glory while dealing with the threats looming from both Paul Dano's Riddler and Barry Keoghan's Joker, all while he finds out just how expansive the crime world is in Gotham. Story details likely won't be released until at least later into 2023, and with multiple HBO Max spin-offs helping set up the story in the streaming spheres, the possibilities for excitement are endless.
The Batman - Part II will arrive in theaters on October 3, 2025.
