The recent surge in COVID 19 cases thanks to the more transferrable Omicron variant has led to speculation that we may see another bout of release date delays for upcoming blockbusters, with particular attention being paid to Matt Reeves' The Batman, which is currently scheduled to hit theaters in just a few weeks.
Now, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar has provided an update, and while there are no plans in place to push the movie back any further for the time being, it sounds like it's certainly a possibility if the situation continues to worsen.
“We’re certainly paying attention to everything going on with Omicron," Kilar tells Puck News' Matt Belloni. "We feel good about the date right now. We’re gonna watch it day by day.”
We'll just have to hope things improve over the next month or so. Spider-Man: No Way Home proved that audiences are willing to flock back to theaters in the midst of a pandemic, but that could have been an anomaly, and WB may not be willing to take the risk with The Batman.
In related news, USA Today has debuted another new still from the reboot featuring Robert Pattinson's Bruce Wayne.
"Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies — Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) — amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens."
“When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.”
The Batman is set to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.