A couple of months ago, The Batman II's release date was pushed back by a whole year, raising more questions about how the "Elseworlds" movie will fit into DC Studios' wider plans for the DCU.
While James Gunn has said out-of-continuity projects will continue to be made, it's still strange to think that The Batman sequel is going to compete with The Brave and the Bold, a Batman and Robin-led project featuring the DCU's new Dark Knight (who will replace Ben Affleck and, as of The Flash, Michael Keaton as well).
There's no reason why two versions of Bruce Wayne can't coexist on screen at the same time, of course, though comparisons will be inevitable and the pressure is going to be on Andy Muschietti to deliver a movie that's as good, if not better, than what Matt Reeves did with The Batman in 2022.
Earlier this week, Gunn debunked a pretty exciting rumour about The Batman II and The Batman III being shot back-to-back. For some reason, many fans continue to argue that the Superman helmer plans to scrap the franchise (which is supposedly why Reeves' Arkham-set series is now linked to the DCU).
Responding to a fan who asked about just that on social media, Gunn made it clear: Reeves' plans for The Batman franchise have not been cancelled.
Recently, a website claimed Gunn has no power over The Batman II. To that, he said, "Bullshit. All new DC films are under DC Studios." That makes sense, though it did lead to some concerns about potential creative differences given Reeves' very specific vision for the character.
At this stage, we don't know what sort of studio boss Gunn is going to be and exactly how much freedom he'll give to creatives who make DC projects which aren't going to fall under the "DCU" umbrella. However, as a filmmaker himself, it still feels like Gunn is the right man for this job.
Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in the next movie, though in terms of plot details, we know next to nothing. Two-Face has been rumoured to appear, though the stage has also been set for Barry Keoghan to return as The Joker.
The Batman II is scheduled to arrive in theaters on October 2, 2026.