Fans of Robert Pattinson's version of the Caped Crusader will have to wait even longer than previously expected for a sequel to the 2022 hit The Batman. Turns out, that The Batman: Part II, originally expected to be released in 2026, has now been pushed back a whole year. The new release date is Oct. 1, 2027.
But why? Recently, DCU boss James Gunn confirmed on his Threads account what some fans and insiders already knew: The script for The Batman: Part II has yet to be completed, which means filming is still a long way away. "The only reason for the delay is there isn’t a full script," Gunn said. "[Director] Matt [Reeves] is committed to making the best film he possibly can, and no one can accurately guess exactly how long a script will take to write."
This news comes in the middle of many other DC-movie-related developments. The new DCU is launching next summer with the new 2025 Superman, which, clearly, will build out a new shared universe of DC comic book characters. However, Pattinson's Batman isn't necessarily part of that shared canon.
Gunn also hasn't said one way or another if Batman will be recast for the upcoming film The Brave and the Bold, a DCU Batman film which is set to include the Damian Wayne version of Robin, alongside his father, Batman/Bruce Wayne. This film, Gunn has stressed, has not been delayed, indicating any Bat-overlap between the two movies might be limited.
In other words, the delay of The Batman: Part II has led many to speculate that the Pattinson-Reeves Bat universe would be separate from the new, larger DCU. (A good analogy is the two standalone Joker movies, which aren't connected to any specific Batman cinematic continuity.) If true, this would also mean that the popular 2024 TV series, The Penguin, would also be contained in that continuity, and not part of any future DCU films.
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Back in 2023, Gunn said that the DCU was "miles and miles away” from casting a new Batman, and since then, there hasn't b been any official word. So, Robert Pattinson will continue to play Batman in The Batman: Part II, and maybe another movie after that. Or, Pattinson might play Batman in The Brave and the Bold; though, mostly likely, not.
In any case, there are two new Batman movies on the horizon for 2027 and beyond, The Batman: Part II and The Brave and the Bold. But as of now, we know almost nothing about them. When Batman does return, it will surely be a massive event, if only because the wait for a new Dark Knight flick will have been one of the longest gaps in Bat-movies, ever.
