Previous reports have claimed that The Batman - Part II was scheduled to begin filming early next year, but with the recent SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes impacting pretty much every aspect of film production, it sounds like Matt Reeves' highly-anticipated sequel has been hit with a delay.
According to insider Daniel Richtman, the plan is to start shooting The Dark Knight's next big-screen outing in late summer, with casting getting underway from February.
Everyone from the first film (who survived) is expected to return, along with some characters from the Penguin Max series, and Richtman has also heard that two characters that we have previously heard whispers about will indeed be introduced: Dr. Tommy Elliot/Hush and Dick Grayson/Robin.
If you've seen The Batman, you'll likely have noticed that the groundwork is actually laid for the introduction of Hush. At one point, The Riddler exposes some dark secrets, revealing that Thomas Wayne played a part in the death of a journalist named Edward Elliot. While this could just be a coincidence, the word "hush" even flashes up on the screen at one point.
This was probably just a little easter egg for fans at the time, but that doesn't mean Reeves couldn't have decided to go with Hush as the main antagonist of The Batman - Part II since.
Here's what the filmmaker had to say about the character when asked which villains he'd most like to explore in a potential sequel last year.
"There are so many, and, I dunno... I think Hush is a really interesting one to do. I'll say Hush. But that doesn't mean that the next one will be Hush!"
As for Robin, several different sources have now reported that Grayson will debut in the sequel, so we'd say there is likely something to it. Details are few and far between, but we have heard that this latest take on The Boy Wonder will be a teenager (possibly as young as thirteen).
When the new DCU slate was announced, James Gunn confirmed that Reeves' "BatVerse" will remain separate from the DCU, so this movie, along with Todd Phillips' Joker sequel, will be considered "Elseworlds" tales. A new actor will down the cape and cowl for Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which will also feature a different take on Robin - The Caped Crusader's son, Damian Wayne.
Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, and Colin Farrell are all expected to reprise their respective roles, and there are rumors that the sequel will also feature the debut of Clayface (but we don't have much more to go on).
Specific plot details are still under wraps, but we know the Penguin spin-off series will set up the story. As far as official info goes, Reeves has stated that his sequel will continue this "epic crime saga," but that's about all we have to go on.
The Batman - Part II is set to release in theaters on October 3, 2025.