- Matt Reeves has up to date followers on what to anticipate from The Batman Half II
- The film’s writer-director says filming will start in late April or early Might 2026
- He additionally teased its major villain and confirmed whether or not it will be a part of the DCU
Matt Reeves has shared some new particulars about The Batman Half II – and all however confirmed whether or not his Bat-Verse will likely be folded into the DC Universe (DCU).
Chatting with Josh Horowitz on the 2025 Emmy Awards pink carpet, the film’s co-writer and director revealed that the Robert Pattinson-led franchise is not going to grow to be a part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s nascent cinematic universe.
Responding to Horowitz’s remark that Gunn name-dropped Reeves as somebody that the DC Studios co-chief would need to direct a film set inside his and Safran’s rebooted superhero franchise, Reeves stated: “I am very flattered. That is actually form of James to say and it will be actually thrilling to work with him. I imply, we’re working with him on this. It is an Elseworlds [story] nevertheless it’s nonetheless DC [a DC Studios] manufacturing], so it is theirs [Gunn and Safran’s] as nicely.”
Reeves’ response will likely be a dagger to the hearts of followers who had been hoping that The Batman Epic Crime Saga (TBECS) – that is the official title for Reeves’ Bat-Verse – would merge with the DCU.
For months, followers have debated whether or not TBECS would be a part of the DCU, and formally induct Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego into Gunn and Safran’s new-look franchise. That is despite a giant DCU replace that Gunn and Safran gave in February, which noticed the previous insist Pattinson would not grow to be their universe’s Batman, too.
Final month, an unsubstantiated report instructed The Batman 2 would come with one of many Darkish Knight’s most well-known allies in Robin, who simply so occurs to be a part of The Courageous and The Daring, aka the Batman-starring DCU Chapter One movie that is nonetheless in early growth. Gunn rapidly refuted that report on the time, nevertheless it did little to dampen hypothesis {that a} merger would occur.
With two Batman properties in growth at DC Studios, some followers additionally imagine normal audiences would possibly get confused about totally different variations of The Caped Crusader present concurrently on the massive display screen. Folding TBECS into the DCU, then, could be a straightforward option to remedy this dilemma within the eyes of some.
Admittedly, that downside hasn’t been solved by Reeves’ newest feedback on the matter. Nonetheless, they lastly present closure on the perennial debate regarding a doable merger and I, for one, am glad it is over.
A villainous tease for the Large Dangerous Bat’s subsequent foe
That wasn’t the one telling info Reeves supplied about his subsequent big-screen undertaking.
In August, Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav revealed the cameras would begin rolling on The Batman Half II in early 2026. Chatting with Horowitz, Reeves gave a extra concrete reply about its manufacturing begin date by saying filming would start “on the finish of April or the start of Might”.
Then there’s the thriller about who the movie’s major antagonist will likely be. The Batman‘s major villain was The Riddler however, given the sheer measurement of the superhero’s rogues gallery, its sequel’s Large Dangerous could possibly be any variety of supervillains.
Predictably, Reeves would not say which of these had been chosen as the first foe of Bruce Wayne and his superhuman alias, however teased it could possibly be somebody who’s by no means appeared in a live-action Batman movie earlier than.
“One of many explorations for me was to do one thing that pushes even additional into the character of Bruce Wayne,” Reeves stated. “The primary story is a lot in regards to the Batman, and so I all the time needed, within the motion pictures, to verify we get – as an example we get to make three and I do not know [if we will] – but when we get to make three, I all the time needed the flicks to concentrate on his character.
“When you get previous the origin story, which we did not fairly do, however we did one thing that referred to his origins, you begin telling the rogues gallery story,” Reeves continued, “And I by no means needed to lose Rob on the heart of those tales. So, selecting the correct villain who digs into that, [and] goes into his previous and his life, that is what drove that dialogue. I will not say who we ended up with, nevertheless it’s by no means actually been achieved in a film earlier than, so we’re tremendous enthusiastic about it.”
So, who may it’s? One particular person who instantly springs to thoughts is Hush, who has main ties to Bruce Wayne within the comics? Then there’s the rich Gotham-based secret society named The Court docket of Owls. A reasonably latest addition to Batman’s rogues gallery, Wayne believes they had been complicit within the deaths of his mother and father in ‘The New 52’ revamp of DC Comics. Neither occasion has featured in a live-action Batman flick earlier than and, given their hyperlinks to Wayne himself, match each standards that Reeves alluded to.
However, what do you assume? Who may The Batman 2‘s villain be? Let me know within the feedback.