The Batman - Part II Release Date, Cast, Director, Possible Villains And More Details

Batman is one of the most beloved superheroes in comic book history, and when it comes to Hollywood adaptations, nobody compares when it comes to Bruce Wayne. The cinematic Caped Crusader has been played by everybody from Adam West to George Clooney to Ben Affleck, and he's appeared in animated movies, Justice League adventures, and nine solo films. Batman might be a creature of the dark, but he sure does love the spotlight.

And while fans are always going to debate who's the best Batman, there's no denying that Robert Pattinson owns the mantle of "World's Greatest Detective." In Matt Reeves' "The Batman," the actor gave us a totally new look at the Dark Knight, making him more brooding, more tortured than ever before — an angry man lost in the shadows. He also gave us a Batman who's equal parts superhero and super sleuth, actually putting Bruce Wayne's investigative skills to good use.

Of course, "The Batman" ends with Bruce seeing the light and striving to become a more hopeful figure for the city of Gotham. So when will we get to see the next chapter in "The Batman" saga, and will Pattinson be returning as the titular hero? Well, fire up the Batmobile and get ready to solve some riddles as we discuss everything you need to know about "The Batman – Part II."

In January 2023, DCU heads James Gunn and Peter Safran finally announced their plans for the new DC Universe. In addition to detailing films like "Superman: Legacy" and "Swamp Thing," they also announced "The Batman – Part II" was on its way and would ride into theaters on October 3, 2025. 

Unfortunately, that's no longer the gameplan, and we're all going to have to wait a bit longer. Now, "The Batman" sequel will bow nearly a full year later — on October 2, 2026. The Bat-Flick has had some behind-the-scenes delays. Originally, the sequel was meant to start shooting in November 2023, but filming was pushed back due to the now-finished WGA strike and SAG-AFTRA strike. Fortunately, now when know when the cameras will start rolling. Speaking at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2024, director Matt Reeves announced that shooting would start in early 2025. 

Just like Bruce Wayne conceals his identity, the folks at DC have done a great job of keeping "The Batman – Part II" under wraps. But while we don't know the film's plot, we've heard a few intriguing possibilities.

The most important thing about the "Batman" sequel is that it'll be Bruce Wayne-centric as opposed to focusing on a larger-than-life villain. As director Matt Reeves said to Collider, "My goal has always been to do these point-of-view stories that allow [Bruce] to always be the emotional center of the story. Because a lot of times what happens is, after you do the first one, then suddenly other rogues' gallery characters come in, and they kind of take over, and then Batman takes a backseat sort of character-wise or emotionally."

Reeves also promised an "epic sort of sweep of the development of that character" across the "Batman" saga. Of course, you do need a pretty good bad guy in a "Batman" movie. So who will oppose the Caped Crusader? Well, the first film teased a Joker/Riddler team-up, and Joker actor Barry Keoghan implied his return when speaking to CTV's "Etalk," saying, "It would be exciting, wouldn't it? To see the Joker come to life again? My smile says it all, you know what I mean."

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Robert Pattinson said he'd like to see the Court of Owls — a secret society pulling Gotham's strings — show up in "Part II." Matt Reeves has also discussed bringing Mr. Freeze out of the cold, telling Collider he'd like to create a grounded version of the frosty fiend. There have been rumors that the monstrous shapeshifter Clayface could appear, and reliable entertainment reporter Jeff Sneider has heard whispers of Hush, a pistol-toting vigilante with connections to the Riddler.

Batman's whole thing is playing on the fears of his enemies, but hey, you've got no reason to fear — Robert Pattinson is coming back as the Dark Knight. Without a doubt, Pattinson is one of the very best actors to ever play Batman, and he'll be bringing back his heavy fists and brooding eyes for the sequel. Joining Pattinson, you can expect to see Andy Serkis as Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, Alfred, and it's been reported that Zoë Kravitz is returning as Catwoman.

So who else is rounding out the cast? It was confirmed at 2024's San Diego Comic-Con that Colin Farrell will be putting on prosthetics to reprise his part as Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin. Past that, nothing has been confirmed, but Hollywood insider Daniel Ricthman — who's pretty good at getting reliable scoops — has reported that Paul Dano is coming back as the Riddler. Again, that's just a rumor at this point, but seeing how the last film ended, it would make sense if the Bat-Villain returned for "Part II." (He also reported that Penguin was coming back, and that did indeed pan out.) We'd also expect Jeffrey Wright to come back as James Gordon, one of Batman's most trusted allies.

While Robert Pattinson stole the show as Bruce Wayne, "The Batman" wouldn't have become such a massive success without the unique vision of Matt Reeves. The director and co-writer of the original film, Reeves has been delivering thrillers for quite some time, helming major titles like the first "Cloverfield," the vampire tale "Let Me In," and the final two entries of the Andy Serkis "Planet of the Apes" series — "Dawn" and "War." Now, he's back for "The Batman – Part II," co-writing the script with Mattson Tomlin, who's penned films such as "Little Fish," "Mother/Android," and "Project Power."

Speaking to the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Reeves promised the movie would explore into the interior lives of its dark heroes. "Whatever that story's going to be," Reeves said about the upcoming sequel, "it's going to be to take these characters and put them in some kind of emotional jeopardy. There's a deep-dive that already happened at the beginning, and now I'm gonna have to deep-dive again."

So here's the big question ... will "The Batman – Part II" be a part of the DC Universe? When James Gunn and Peter Safran were put in charge of DC Studios, they announced a whole slate of upcoming projects — one of which included "The Batman" sequel. They also announced they'd be taking the DCU in a new direction, with a brand new Superman and stories involving Supergirl, Green Lantern, and the Authority. So how exactly does "The Batman – Part II" fit into all this? Will Robert Pattinson be showing up alongside the new Man of Steel?

As it turns out, "The Batman – Part II" will have no connection with the DCU proper. Instead, the Matt Reeves movies will exist in their own little DC subsection, known as DC Elseworlds. Basically, this banner just means "these are standalone movies that aren't connected to any bigger cinematic universe." The same rules apply for the "Joker" movies, which exist in their own little Elseworlds corner. In other words, if you're hoping "The Batman" movies will keep that same gritty Matt Reeves energy and won't be a part of any larger DC storylines, you've got your wish.

Of course, you can't have a DCU without Batman, so Gunn and Safran will be creating their own Caped Crusader to lead "The Bold and the Brave." As a result, we'll have two Batmen running around in the upcoming years, but unless things get super multiversal at some point, they'll never cross paths.

We've got quite a bit of time to kill before October 2026, so while we're waiting for Matt Reeves' sequel, why not pass the time by revisiting Robert Pattinson's first outing as the Bat?

Drawing inspiration from sources that range from David Fincher to Kurt Cobain, "The Batman" presents a grungy, horror-tinged tale, with Batman trying to stop a serial killer while uncovering secrets from his past. Featuring fantastic performances from Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Paul Dano as the Riddler, and Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, "The Batman" became the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2022, earned serious critical acclaim, and nabbed three Academy Award nominations.

If you're hoping to revisit the Bat-Flick (or check it out for the first time), we've got you covered. You can stream "The Batman" on Max, or you can rent it on Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, and Vudu.