Matt Reeves' The Batman sequel will abandon one mainstay that made the first film and its follow-up series, The Penguin, special. The Batman Part II, delayed from its initial 2027 release date to February 18, 2028, began filming in June, with Robert Pattinson suiting up once more as the Dark Knight. Colin Farrell, who featured in the 2022 film and led The Penguin, will return alongside Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. The sequel will also feature exciting new faces, including Sebastian Stan, Charles Dance, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, and Sebastian Koch. Notably absent from Reeves' official cast announcement were members of one family central to his Gotham universe.
The Falcones will skip The Batman Part II, marking the first entry in Reeves' Batman Epic Crime Saga not to feature the crime dynasty. Many fans had hoped Emmy winner Cristin Milioti would at least reprise her role as Sofia Falcone from the HBO Max series, but Reeves definitively ruled her out. The other prominent Falcone men are dead; Carmine was murdered in the final act of The Batman, and his son, Alberto, was gunned down in the first episode of The Penguin.
The character with the biggest chance of returning was Zoë Kravitz's Selina Kyle, but she, too, was missing from the cast announcement. Fans will recall that Selina was unveiled as Carmine's secret daughter in the first film.
The Falcone family is one of the pillars of Matt Reeves' Batman universe, having near-total control of the city's underworld. Carmine ruled with an iron fist from the comfort of his Iceberg Lounge, suppressing rival factions and blackmailing local businessmen and politicians. He had almost the entire Gotham Police Department in his pocket, which made it easier to maintain his dominance over Gotham.
His status as a police informant also ensured the authorities turned a blind eye to his illicit operations. The empire, however, started to crack when the Riddler went on a killing spree, exposing the corruption of the GCPD and Carmine himself. Making an enemy of Batman and Catwoman didn't help matters either, leading to his arrest. He was then killed by the Riddler while being taken into custody.
One week after the events of The Batman, The Penguin dug deeper into the Falcone dynasty's history, introducing Sofia, who had spent years in Arkham Asylum. After her release, Sofia wasted no time going after Farrell's Oz Cobb, who had begun consolidating power in the vacuum left by her father's death. In her quest for power, she eliminated what remained of the Falcone crime family, poisoning them with carbon monoxide as they slept. She then rebranded the organization under her mother's maiden name, Gigante, a move to erase her father's legacy entirely.
Other Batman Elements Missing From The Batman Part 2
The Falcones' absence from the sequel means Catwoman will not appear either, a significant loss, given that she was arguably one of the best parts of the first entry. The film introduced Selina Kyle as a notorious burglar who gets entangled in the Riddler's crusade against corrupt officials, crossing paths with Batman as he investigates. The two eventually join forces, and their connection deepens beyond a professional partnership.
At the end of the movie, Selina invites Bruce to leave with her, but the Dark Knight has too much unfinished business in Gotham to abandon. Catwoman rides out of the city that caused her so much pain, and with no Falcone ties to draw her back, the likelihood of her returning is slim.
Supernatural elements, a staple of Batman lore, are another casualty of Reeves' grounded approach to filmmaking. The celebrated director is known for his preference for realism in his films, so unsurprisingly, The Batman Part II won't feature the supernatural and fantastical elements popular in the comics.
Many celebrated Batman stories involve mud monsters, Lazarus Pits, and even Man-Bat, but the sequel will avoid those. There were rumors that Clayface was initially planned for Reeves' universe, though DC Studios' James Gunn later debunked those claims.
The Bat-family will also not feature in the film, which isn't a surprise, since this version of Batman is quite young and early in his career as the Dark Knight. Naturally, Reeves didn't involve any sidekicks like Robin, as it would draw too much attention away from a Batman who still needs his story fleshed out. The Bat-family is a mainstay in Batman lore, playing a significant role in some of the Dark Knight's most pivotal arcs. In the sequel, Bruce's main allies will remain Alfred and Jim Gordon.
The villains in this universe are grounded, and so are the costumes. Although white blank eyes placed in Batman and other characters' cowls are a popular design choice in the comics, The Batman Part II won't adopt that look, maintaining the gritty aesthetic of the first film. Live-action Batman films have largely avoided this design choice; no actor has maintained white eyes as a standard cowl feature, so it isn't too surprising that it won't appear in the Reevesverse.
Geraldo Amartey is a writer at The Direct. He joined the team in 2025, bringing with him four years of experience covering entertainment news, pop culture, and fan-favorite franchises for sites like YEN, Briefly and Tuko.
