The Batman - Part II is expected to begin shooting next month in London, and an interesting detail relating to one main cast member's status has now come to light.
During this week's episode of The Hot Mic, Jeff Sneider mentioned that Scarlett Johansson has actually yet to sign on to play her mysterious character (believed to be Gilda Dent) in Matt Reeves' long-awaited sequel.
Could this impact production? It seems unlikely, as Johansson and her agent are most likely still ironing out contract details. But, as of this moment, it seems the Black Widow star is not officially set to star in the movie.
Sneider also said that he still believes Robin will appear in the sequel in some capacity, though he doesn't have any new info to share (he first reported on the character's potential DCU debut months ago).
Co-host John Rocha then chimed in to mention that his source told him "something" about the movie that he promised he wouldn't reveal during the show, but he indicated that an announcement of some sort may be imminent.
A production listing recently revealed that the sequel's updated working title is "Semper Vigilans," which translates to "Always Vigilant" or "Ever Watchful." This fuelled speculation that the movie could introduce The Court of Owls.
In the comics, the nursery rhyme associated with this shadowy organisation reads: “Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.”
It's certainly an intriguing possibility, but we already know that Matt Reeves' sequel will feature Harvey Dent (Sebastian Stan).
Previous reports have claimed that the movie's plot "involves District Attorney Harvey Dent, Commissioner James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright), and Batman forming an uneasy alliance to bring down a serial killer and the city’s entrenched mafia power."
If you're a DC Comics fan, you'll likely be aware that this is the premise of The Long Halloween, which also influenced elements of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. While Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin might have worked the Court of Owls into this storyline (Talon could be the killer?), it seems unlikely given the scope of the comic book arc and depth of the COO lore.
During a recent interview with Screen Rant, Andy Serkis (Alfred) spoke about the sequel's script. He didn't give much away, of course, but did drop a few vague hints about the direction of the story.
"I obviously can't say too much about the film other than that I am really excited about going back into the world and working with Matt Reeves again, who I've now worked with a number of times, and he's a dear friend, and Rob. And the script and the story and the new story really does speak to Matt as a human being and what he feels about life. Rob and he got on brilliantly. And I can't say any more than that, but yeah, the relationship continues to be one of a very close, slightly at odds, but beautiful relationship."
The Batman - Part II is set to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.
Robert Pattinson will return as Bruce Wayne/Batman, along with Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and (possibly) Barry Keoghan as The Joker. Zoë Kravitz is not expected to reprise her role as Selina Kyle/Catwoman.
Check out some fan-art featuring Johansson as Andrea Beaumont/The Phantasm at the links below.