As speculation continues to run rampant about the future of The Batman franchise, it feels like Warner Bros. and DC Studios are nearing a crossroads.
Regardless of what's caused the delays, the simple fact is that Matt Reeves' "Bat-Verse" has stalled and doesn't appear to be going anywhere fast. Robert Pattinson isn't getting any younger, and at the same time, DC Studios' James Gunn and Peter Safran are attempting to relaunch a brand in desperate need of a refresh.
Now, it's time to make a decision about where Batman goes from here. Should two Bruce Waynes inhabit theaters at the same time? Should the DCU or "Bat-Verse" be a priority? We're taking a closer look at those questions and more while taking a deep dive into whether it's time to move on from The Batman Part II ahead of its supposed 2027 release.
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5. The Moment Has Passed
This may seem like an odd thing to say so soon after The Penguin premiered and received widespread acclaim, but it does feel like The Batman Part II's time has been and gone.
The first movie was released in 2022 and took a new approach to the Caped Crusader by setting the story in "Year 2" of Bruce Wayne's career as a vigilante. It felt like a relatively standalone tale, likely explaining why that scene with The Joker ended up on the cutting room floor.
It's been over three years since The Batman was released, and by the time the sequel comes out, half a decade will have passed. That's far from the end of the world, but the DC Universe has moved on in more ways than one, and the desire to see this story continue has faded.
Neither The Batman nor The Penguin ended with a cliffhanger as such, so if all we get is the hero's battle with The Riddler and an extended origin story for "Oz" Cobb, it's not exactly a #RestoreTheSnyderVerse situation.
4. Elseworlds Feels Like A Disaster In The Making
So, DC Studios' big idea is for stories set outside of the DCU to be labelled "Elseworlds." We've yet to see that concept in action, though it feels an awful lot like Spider-Man being in the MCU while many of his villains inhabit Sony's Marvel Universe.
A complete mess, in other words.
When it became clear that Ben Affleck had no interest in donning the cape and cowl beyond the odd cameo, it made sense to launch a new standalone franchise like The Batman without any DCEU baggage. Since then, DC Studios has set out to create a shared DCU, and that's why The Brave and the Bold is in the works.
We'll expand on this point more below, but expecting general audiences to follow the stories of both Pattinson's Batman and another version who trains his son as Robin and hangs out with Superman muddies the waters and surely won't benefit either franchise.
3. DC Doesn't Need More Than One Batman
It says a lot that not even Sony Pictures was foolish enough to introduce a second live-action Spider-Man in its "spin-off" movies.
Admittedly, audiences aren't dumb and can differentiate between two different versions of the same character. Even so, there's a reason Superman & Lois was quickly wrapped up before Superman's release this summer.
Having multiple versions of a superhero inhabiting that live-action space at the same time dilutes the brand and leads to comparisons that no studio wants or needs (critics already can't help themselves from comparing every Star Wars project to movies released decades ago).
Even from a storytelling perspective, what are we looking at here? A dark, moody "rookie" Batman and a far more experienced Batman who's a father? They sound pretty different on paper, but they're fundamentally the same character: Spider-Man in his mid-20s, for example, ain't all that different from Spidey in his teens, folks.
2. It Makes More Sense To Add Robert Pattinson To The DCU
Despite being a reboot, the DCU is picking and choosing actors and characters from the past, including John Cena's Peacemaker and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller. As a result, it wouldn't be remotely difficult to make it so that Pattinson's Batman is this new shared world's Dark Knight.
There was nothing in The Batman that necessarily contradicts what Gunn is planning. Retroactively making a critical and commercial hit the first DCU movie would get this franchise off to the right start alongside this summer's Superman.
Reeves will also need to be open to incorporating a wider universe into his stories but can still keep this franchise relatively standalone. Superman doesn't need to drop in frequently, and Gotham can be a city patrolled by just one lone vigilante if needs be. Then again, Pattinson could play a much older version of Bruce Wayne too.
The actor would have to be convinced to make at least the odd appearance in other projects. However, Batman doesn't have to be a member of the Justice League and can be used very sparingly, treated as more of an urban myth than a widely known "superhero."
1. The DCU Should Be A Priority
No matter how many social media scoopers vaguely allude to it, we still have no idea what the cause is for The Batman Part II's delay. It could be creative issues or something far more personal; either way, the movie is taking a long time to get here (if it is the latter, we wish Reeves all the best).
We can't say for sure whether The Batman is what's seemingly led to work on The Brave and the Bold being slowed down, but DC Studios needs to be prioritising that and the DCU. Leaving this character on the shelf isn't good for the DC brand and does little to help a studio that's attempting to undo years of damage caused by feckless Warner Bros. executives.
Batman is DC's biggest draw, and the franchise would benefit greatly from him showing up. The next couple of years will see the studio lean on characters like Clayface and Sgt. Rock to carry the DCU, and that's a huge risk.
Gunn is attempting to build a new shared world that can rival the MCU. To do that, he needs Batman at his disposal and front and centre in the DCU.