Following some recent buzz, Deadline has officially confirmed that Andy Serkis will indeed reprise his role as Alfred Pennyworth in Matt Reeves' highly anticipated The Batman II.
There was initially believed to be a scheduling conflict with Serkis' upcoming directorial The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, where he's also playing the title character, that was expected to affect his availability, but it looks as though the studios were able to make it work. Whether he has a limited role in the upcoming sequel remains to be seen, but it's certainly welcome news knowing Bruce Wayne will have his most trusted confidante.
In addition to Serkis, the cast will feature Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Barry Keoghan as Joker, Sebastian Stan as Harvey Dent, and Scarlett Johansson in an undisclosed role.
Matt Reeves returns to direct, with a screenplay he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin. Reeves is also attached a producer with Dylan Clark and Lynn Harris.
The Batman II is one of the most anticipated superhero sequels in recent memory and should easily be one of the biggest films of 2027. The first film grossed over $772.3 million on an estimated $200 million production budget.
While plot details remain heavily under wraps, the film has been rumored to adapt elements of The Long Halloween, with the Holiday Killer possibly being one of the film's primary antagonists. Some have speculated Johansson could be playing Gilda Dent, which would be an interesting twist and would fulfill Reeves' promise of the film featuring a villain we've never seen on screen. That being said, other reports have pointed to the Court of Owls being involved, so it's going to be an exciting guessing game over the next few months as we wait to see what Reeves has actually cooked up.
Multiple roles have yet to be cast, the most prominent being that of Christopher Dent. A number of veteran actors have reportedly already passed on the part, including Daniel Craig, Robert De Niro, and Stellan Skarsgård. But with filming expected to commence near the end of May, we should probably get word on who's playing one of the film's lead villains within the next few weeks, possibly even as early as next week during Warner Bros.' CinemaCon presentation.
Principal photography is scheduled to start at the end of May, at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and Liverpool in England. They will also film Glasgow.
The Batman II hits theaters on October 1, 2027!