The Batman 2 Director Casts Doubt on 1 Heavily-Rumored DC Cameo

The Batman 2 will seemingly not include one superhero who was previously heavily rumored to join the cast. The Robert Pattinson-led movie will be director Matt Reeves' second solo story for the iconic DC hero, who will operate in one of DC Studios' new Elseworlds movies outside of the main DC Universe. While fans hope to see plenty of Batman's memorable supporting cast members join the fray, this may not happen the next time he is on the big screen.

New comments from The Batman 2 director Matt Reeves indicated that Robin may not appear in the new movie. Speaking with Biz New Orleans, Dynamic Duo director Arthur Mintz discussed how Reeves "had always wanted to make a story about Robin" and felt animation was the way to go with the project. This, combined with one of the writers on Disney and Pixar's Coco delivering a great script pitch, got the team going on the idea:

"Matt [Reeves] had always wanted to make a story about Robin [Batman’s sidekick], and he thought this would be the medium to do it in. So, he called us and we started developing that with him. The writer of the Pixar film 'Coco' came back with this great script pitch that we were all excited about, but just to put this into context, it doesn't take much when you’re running a startup to get you excited when someone calls you with an idea. If it's two celery sticks that rob a bank, you're like, 'I’m so into vegetables!'"

The fact that Reeves believed a Robin story should be told in an animated medium, rather than live-action, seems to suggest that The Batman - Part 2 will not feature the Boy Wonder. 

Additionally, Chris Armand, one of the principals of Swaybox Studios (the studio behind Dynamic Duo), complimented Reeves for his support in their work on the movie after Reeves and others said, "We like that, stay doing that. That feels the best:"

"The previous projects we worked on were great, but everyone was, 'We like your style, we like your aesthetic, let's do that.' Then when you get into working with them, they're like, 'We don’t like that anymore, can you do what we do?' Matt Reeves and 6th & Idaho were the first people to say 'We like that, stay doing that. That feels the best.'"

Reeves is in the early stages of development on The Batman - Part 2, a follow-up to his 2022 solo movie with Bruce Wayne. While story details remain under wraps, the cast will include Robert Pattinson (Batman), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), Jeffrey Wright (Jim Gordon), and Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb/Penguin). The Batman 2 is expected to be released in theaters on October 1, 2027.

Who Will Appear in The Batman 2 in Robin's Absence?

Robin is a character who has been absent from live-action DC stories for the better part of three decades, the last true version coming in 1997's ill-fated Batman & Robin. While 2012's The Dark Knight Rises included Joseph Gordon-Levitt as James Blake, whose first name was revealed to be Robin only at the end of the movie, and he never suited up as a hero.

While The Batman 2 does not appear to have Robin in the cards for its roster, the rest of the cast should bring plenty of excitement in this Elseworlds story. Reeves already teased how the story will break new ground for Batman in ways no other movie has done, giving fans an adventure that could reinvent the hero.

Batman is set to face a villain not seen in any previous DC movie for the Caped Crusader, with other antagonists like the Penguin and (possibly) the Joker set to play roles as well. While Robin is unlikely to appear in a DC movie until James Gunn's The Brave and the Bold, fans remain anxious to see if, when, and how he could contribute to the broader DC Studios narrative.