We have some good news and (potentially) bad news relating to Warner Bros./DC's long-awaited sequel to The Batman: The movie is finally expected to begin filming next March, but it seems there's a chance director Matt Reeves may not return to take the helm.
As you can see below, Reeves is not listed in the latest Production Weekly report.
This could simply be an oversight, but we do know that the filmmaker has been dealing with some personal issues (we won't get into the rumors) which could prevent him from committing to the movie if the studio is determined to forge ahead without any further delays.
We find it hard to believe that WB would replace Reeves with another director just to get things moving, unless he decided to step away and gave his blessing?
Jeff Sneider addressed the situation on tonight's episode of The Hot Mic, and while he clarified that he doesn't know whether Reeves is still on board or not, he said he "wouldn't be surprised" if the next time we see the Dark Knight on the big screen is in the DCU (he speculates that James Gunn might be working on a new Superman/Batman movie).
Late last year, we got the disappointing news that the movie had been hit with another delay and would not arrive until October 1, 2027. DC Studios co-head James Gunn claimed that the almost year-long setback was simply down to the fact that the script hasn't been finished, but it sounds like the filmmaker has now, at the very least, cracked the overall story.
In a recent interview, star Robert Pattinson revealed that he does know what The Batman sequel will be about, while also addressing the news that the movie has been pushed into 2027.
“Matt is a very careful writer [laughs]... but I finally now know what it's about. It's very cool and I'm very excited.”
A lot of fans and industry insiders remain convinced that Pattinson will ultimately stay on as the DCU's Dark Knight for the planned The Brave and the Bold movie. Folding the Batverse into the DCU might make the most sense, if for no other reason than to avoid having two separate Batman franchises running alongside each other. By the time The Batman sequel actually hits theaters in 2027, there's sure to have been at least some progress on The Brave and The Bold.
Gunn and Peter Safran refuted the Pattinson rumors during the recent DCU slate update, although it might be telling that the Superman director wouldn't outright state that the Mickey 17 actor would not play Batman in The Brave and The Bold, simply noting that it was "very unlikely."
Here's what Reeves had to say about the sequel during January's Golden Globes.
"I can tell you that we're going to be shooting this year and that we're excited about it. I can't really tell you anything about it except that we're really excited. We're continuing the story. I'm really excited to be making it, to get our cast back together, to get new people involved, and we're really excited about it."
"What I'm excited about is I feel like we're doing something that absolutely continues where the story came from but is something that I hope people are going to be really surprised by," he added.