Yesterday evening, the news broke that Steven Soderbergh will direct the remainder of The Batman Part II. While it initially sounded like a relatively small task for the Ocean's Eleven filmmaker, we've since learned that Matt Reeves shot only around two-thirds of the sequel before stepping away due to an undisclosed family matter.
It's unclear why production couldn't be paused until Reeves was ready to return, though it may be as simple as changing the cast's schedules and filming locations being too costly or impractical.
While Soderbergh shoots The Batman Part II in London, Reeves is expected to have input from his home in Los Angeles and should take charge of the sequel again for the post-production process.
Now, Reeves has taken to social media to issue a brief statement on where things stand with the movie. "Just to be clear, I am not leaving The Batman Part II. I am profoundly grateful to Steven for coming to my aid during this challenging time to help me finish principal photography. Thank you to all for your concern and well wishes."
DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn also felt the need to clarify matters, writing on Threads, "Matt is still the director of The Batman 2 and always will be. I can't express how profoundly grateful and moved we are by Steven's offer to help him complete his vision."
Responding to a fan, Gunn later added, "Like I said above Matt is still the director, he doesn't need to be 'back.' He's still here."
With no specific explanation given for Reeves' absence from the remainder of filming (not that he owes it to anyone, given that this is clearly a deeply personal matter), social media has been flooded with comparisons to what happened with Justice League in 2017.
However, this additional clarity from Reeves and Gunn is clearly meant to put an end to social media chatter about him being removed from the movie like Zack Snyder was when Warner Bros. replaced him with Joss Whedon.
Directed by Matt Reeves from a script by him and Mattson Tomlin, The Batman Part II stars Robert Pattinson, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Colin Farrell, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Charles Dance, Jayme Lawson, Gil Perez-Abraham, Sebastian Koch, and Brian Tyree Henry.
The Batman Part II is set to be released in theaters on February 18, 2028.