The Batman: Part 2might be one of the most hotly anticipated superhero sequels right now. However, with countless delays in filming and a star moving onto another franchise, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Matt Reeves and company. Now, another rumor is suggesting that the movie is in even more trouble.
Ever since reports ofRobert Pattinson being eyed forDune 3went wide, the days following have been nothing short of dreadful for fans fast-tracking a positive development ofThe Batman: Part 2. As a sequel to the well-received 2022 film,The Batman, and the successful HBO TV show,The Penguin, fans were naturally counting down toThe Batman: Part 2’s theatrical debut. However, following multiple pushbacks of the movie to a 2027 release window, the once mostly positive discourse has swung from “the movie is never happening” — courtesy of some disgruntled fans — to the “it’s definitely happening” of folks attached to the film.
Pattinson’sDune 3casting may have impliedThe Batman:Part 2’s cancelation, especially seeing as the Brit is busy with shooting Christopher Nolan’s epic.The Odyssey. According to a reputed American journalist, however, that would not be the case. Appearing onThe Hot Mic podcast on YouTube, Jeff Sneider rebuffed rumors that the movie’s shooting has been pushed to 2026 and stated his belief thatThe Batman: Part 2will shoot at the end of the year as scheduled.
“I think [Pattinson] is doing both.He will be in Dune 3, and yes, that’s summer. Then he’s going into The Batman in the winter…I don’t think there were any massive delays. We could just be debating semantics here. Technically, December 31 and January 1 are different year and they are a second apart.”
Addressing earlier comments by scooper Grace Randolph about The Batman’s delay stemming from director Matt Reeves dealing with a personal issue “close” to the seriousness of a “Chadwick Boseman situation,”Sneider stated that he disagreed with her assessment, adding thatThe Batmanremains in limbo due to what he described as an “unresolved situation.” But he did drop a caution:Warner Bros. might force Reeves out of the project if he doesn’t get things together by the year’s end.
“I know that Grace said something the other day on her show. I think that she had certain things wrong. I think that situation is still unresolved and that’s why things are still unresolved as far as The Batman. I’ll put it this way: I think even though that situation may be unresolved, I would say that if a decision isn’t made by the end of the year - if the movie doesn’t get up and running by the end of the year - I do think [Reeves] will exit. I think it will be a, ‘Hey, we’ve got to move on here.’ It will be very sad. At this point, people are understanding of the circumstances, but there’s some frustration and it’s gonna be, ‘We need to go on this, with or without you soon.'”
Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves Are Testing Fans’ Patience With The Batman Part 2
It May or May Not Reflect in the Box Office Numbers
Interpreting Sneider’s statements, it is obvious that rumors about DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn and Reeves being at odds are just that — rumors. It may also mean that Warner Bros. is considering giving Pattinson aDune 3role just to keep him close to home pending the sorting of things withThe Batman: Part 2. For fans still in disbelief of the limbo status of the sequel, Jayme Lawson’s (who played Mayor Bella Reál in the first movie) latest chat toInversesums it best: she and the cast are still"waiting to hear aboutThe Batman 2."
In all these, there’s the question of the commercial impact of the — at a minimum — five-year gap between both Batman movies. Reeves’ “Batmanverse” opened shop in 2022 withThe Batman’s $772 million box office haul, an appetite further whetted byThe Penguin’s success. IfAvatar: The Way of Water’s eleven-year gapand subsequent $2.3 billion gross has taught Hollywood anything, it’s that even a decade has little persuasive power on the general audience. Thus, there is no need to doubtThe Batman: Part 2’s commercial prospects…at least for now.
