The Batman 2 is coming. These are the rumors and updates you need to know

By Joe Allen and Anthony Orlando Updated October 31, 2025

After the success of The Batman in 2022, everyone knew a sequel was inevitable. Even though James Gunn and Peter Safran have since taken over film and TV production for DC, the Dark Knight’s adventures in Reeves’ cinematic universe will continue.

Robert Pattinson will return as Bruce Wayne/Batman, but there’s been plenty of other speculation about what the movie could entail. To sort out the facts from the rumors, we’ve compiled a roundup of everything we know about The Batman Part II so far.

The Batman Part II was initially supposed to premiere on October 3, 2025. Unfortunately, nothing is guaranteed in the world of filmmaking.

The Batman Part II‘s release date was pushed by nearly a year to October 2, 2026. The film was then delayed again by almost another year. The Batman Part II is now scheduled to premiere on October 1, 2027. Oof.

Yes, the world will have to wait even longer to see Pattinson suit up again, marking a five-year span between the original film and the sequel. This delay wasn’t that surprising, as Warner Bros. Pictures announced the film’s October 2025 debut in January 2023. This was five months before the writers’ strike kicked off half a year of labor disputes in Hollywood.

It’s too soon to say. There’s no confirmation as to who the primary villain will be or what’s happening beyond the continued evolution of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The Batman ended with Pattinson’s Dark Knight seen in a more heroic light by the people of Gotham City, so the sequel will presumably start with that status quo.

My money is on Batman facing Thomas Elliot, a.k.a. Hush. Once a childhood friend of Bruce Wayne, this villain is famous for teaming up with the Riddler in the comics, as well as recruiting multiple other villains to battle and torment Batman with his knowledge of the hero’s true identity. At one point, Batman was even forced to fight a brainwashed Superman because of Hush.

The Batman did have the Riddler reveal that Bruce’s father inadvertently caused the death of a reporter named Edward Elliot. Given his surname, Edward may very well be Hush’s father. Combined with online rumors, it seems likely that the sequel will feature Hush as the main villain, seeking vengeance against Bruce for his father’s role in Edward’s murder.

Reeves also revealed that Bruce Wayne is going to have trouble being the hero Gotham needs.

“This was a time of great turmoil in the city, it’s literally the week after what happened,” he explained to Digital Spy. “Much of the city is in desperation, so police can’t get everywhere, there’s crime everywhere, it’s a very, very dangerous time. [Batman’s] out there trying to grapple with the aftermath of everything that happened, which to some degree he blames himself for.”

“We’re doing something that absolutely continues where the story came from, but it’s something that I hope people are really surprised by,” Reeves added in an interview with Deadline.

When Warner Bros. announced The Batman Part II in April 2022, only Pattinson was confirmed to return as Bruce Wayne/Batman. This seemed pretty obvious, given he plays the franchise’s lead character. Regardless, we’re almost 100% sure these core cast members will return: Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

Reeves confirmed to SFX magazine that Colin Farrell’s character, Oz Cobb/The Penguin, will be part of the movie. Farrell also starred in HBO Max’s spinoff series, The Penguin, which chronicled Cobb’s rise to the top of Gotham’s criminal underworld.

Farrell already shared his expectations for the sequel and what his contract with the franchise entails. “I signed up for three Batman films, but I didn’t know if I’d be in the second film,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “Matt Reeves is a brilliant writer and an extraordinary filmmaker, and what I’m most excited-slash-nervous about in the second film is not what Oz does – or what predicaments he finds himself in, or what moments of success he gets to experience – but what his voice is.”

“I was told I have five or six scenes. I don’t have any hopes or any expectations. I’m really an open book, and that’s the way I get excited by shit or not,” he continued. “I think sometimes actors, if they have a career that has a certain length of time, they sometimes get to make too many decisions. Which isn’t to say I won’t push back or argue or fight in Oz’s corner – I do believe I know him better than anyone now.”

Zoë Kravitz could return as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but it’s also possible that Reeves will hold off on her return to give Bruce a new love interest.

Barry Keoghan had a brief cameo as The Joker in The Batman, hinting at an alliance with Paul Dano’s Riddler. While it isn’t official yet, Keoghan neither confirmed nor denied that his Clown Prince of Crime will appear, implying there is still more to come from him.

Harvey Dent/Two-Face was rumored to be the main antagonist of The Batman Part II, with actor Boyd Holbrook (Logan) hired to portray the iconic villain. However, James Gunn has since debunked those rumors on Threads. This seems to be for the best, as DC already featured a top-tier Two-Face as a core villain in 2008’s The Dark Knight.

No. In fact, now that the film has been delayed to late 2027, audiences likely won’t see a trailer until mid-2026. The first trailer for 2025’s Superman was released seven months before its premiere. If The Batman Part II follows a similar marketing schedule, the world may not get a glimpse of the film until around March 2027.

After years of waiting, Reeves finally revealed on Instagram that the script for The Batman Part II was complete on June 27, 2025. DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn has also revealed that he had received a finished draft of the script. “It’s great,” he said, without offering any additional detail on the film or who would be in it.

In a letter to shareholders, Warner Bros. confirmed that The Batman II would start filming in spring 2026. This aligns with the October 2027 release date and would give the movie more than a year for post-production and visual effects. Just don’t be surprised if there are more delays.

While responding to a rumor about The Batman Part II being canceled in November 2024, Gunn confirmed that the script had yet to be finished at that time. However, he stressed that the film has not been canceled.

“Like why would you even believe a rando on social networking?,” asked Gunn in response to whether The Batman Part II had been quietly canceled. “Of course not. If it was canceled it would be canceled. Who has time for charades? I’ve been one of Matt’s biggest cheerleaders for years – since Cloverfield and the Apes’ movies. We are eagerly awaiting his script.”

Fans have been understandably upset about the time it’s taken to get a sequel to The Batman, but Gunn has been happy to let Reaves take all the time he needs.

“To be fair, a 5-year gap or more is fairly common in sequels,” he said. “7 years between Alien and Aliens. 14 years between Incredibles. 7 years between the first two Terminators. 13 years between Avatars. 36 years between Top Guns. And, of course, 6 years between Guardians Vol 2 and Vol 3.”

“People should get off Matt’s nuts because it’s like, let the guy write the screenplay in the amount of time he needs to write it,” he added. “That’s just the way it is. He doesn’t owe you something because you like his movie. I mean, you like his movie because of Matt. So let Matt do things the way he does.”

A lot has changed at DC since The Batman debuted in theaters. But back in 2024, Reeves was pretty insistent that he would make an entire trilogy.

“Yes, that is still the plan,” Reeves told Collider about making The Batman trilogy. “I mean, it’s sticking very closely to the path we envisioned.”

“Things kind of shifted. So, when we came up with the idea to do The Penguin, that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin’s story and wanted to tell this story of his beginning of rise to power,” Reeves continued. “Because we know that he’s introduced in The Batman as a kind of mid-level, sort of overlooked, mocked figure, who’s not yet in anyone’s eyes the kingpin we come to know him as in the lore.”

Although The Penguin was originally described as a prequel to The Batman, it has subsequently been revealed to take place almost immediately after the first movie.

“In the movie, the election day was November 7th,” explains Reeves during an interview with Collider. “This takes place a week after that, after Bella Reál has been elected, but is now Mayor-Elect Bella Reál. We’re in the aftermath of all that flooding. The wealthier neighborhoods, of course, have gotten the aid they needed, and in Crown Point — and other areas of desperation — they’re not getting the help they need.

“That is the void Oz steps into when he decides to make his moves. The story plays out, really, over the next weeks that take you toward the end of the year. I don’t think we quite get to play Christmas or New Year’s, but we’re getting there.”

Reeves stressed that while The Penguin leads into The Batman Part II, it isn’t required viewing. The events of the sequel will stand on their own.

“Here’s the thing, I think that in terms of it being an epic crime saga, it is something that’s deepened by watching all of it,” Reeves said. “But the truth of the matter is that each one, of course, needs to live on its own. So The Batman lives on its own, The Penguin series lives on its own, The Batman Part II will live on its own, but it will be deepened.

“You won’t have to be prepared for what happened, you’ll just understand that that’s the entry point of where this character is coming in,” Reeves added. “The events that unfold are unfolding in a way where it’s not like, ‘Oh, gee, I needed to see those eight episodes of that show or I don’t understand what’s going on.’ It doesn’t really work that way.”

I, for one, am relieved by this. After Marvel released so many movies that required knowledge of several previous films, Reeves’ approach to his cinematic universe should make it easier for everyone to enjoy.

Indeed, Oz ends up where he set out to be at the end of The Batman. The Penguin shows him defeating his enemies, including Sofia Falcone, and taking control of Gotham’s criminal underworld. This will surely make him a huge villain for the Dark Knight to contend with in The Batman Part II. 

Farrell said the sequel may occur just “a few weeks” after The Penguin ended. This is not outside the realm of possibility, as the latter show began just a week after The Batman concluded.

Following Cristin Milioti’s Emmy-winning performance in The Penguin as Sofia Falcone, insider “MyTimeToShineHello” shared on X that Sofia will allegedly have a “big role” in The Batman Part II. Considering Sofia has made a terrifying rise to power in Gotham, it would be almost impossible not to acknowledge her character in Batman’s next film.

Audiences last saw Sofia back in Arkham Asylum thanks to Oz. While there, she received a letter from Selina Kyle/Catwoman, revealing she is her half-sister through Carmine Falcone. This sets up both Sofia and Selina having huge roles in The Batman Part II. They could easily team up, as they’re sisters who were both wronged by their corrupt father.

Reeves has previously mentioned two other spinoffs from The Batman: one centered on the Gotham City Police Department and the other on Arkham Asylum. Although no other shows are currently lined up, Reeves told Collider: “We are talking about doing more — I think it would be really fun.”

When talking to SFX magazine, Reeves shot down fans’ hopes of the supervillain Gentleman Ghost appearing in the sequel, stating that the character wouldn’t fit the franchise’s world.

“What was important to me was to find a way to take these pop icons, these mythical characters that everybody knows, and translate it so that Gotham feels like a place in our world. We might push to the edge of the fantastical, but we would never go into full fantastical. It’s meant to feel quite grounded,” Reeves said.

There are other rumors that the villains Clayface, Professor Pyg, and Scarecrow will show up in the sequel, along with Batman’s young ward, Dick Grayson/Robin. Despite these claims, Gunn took to Threads to deny the rumor that Pyg and Scarecrow will join Hush, Clayface, and Robin in Part 2. However, this statement implies the latter three characters will make their debut in the franchise.

Keoghan’s cameo as the Joker was one of the most-talked-about moments of The Batman. But since Keoghan’s face was obscured in the film, it wouldn’t be hard for Reeves to recast the role if he wanted to. Keoghan was recently asked about coming back during a feature with Variety, and his answer was elusive at best.

“I can’t say much,” Keoghan said. “The camera is looking right at me. We’ll see where that goes. Again, it was an incredible experience … and yeah, I can’t say.”

In an interview with Popverse, Serkis said he hasn’t seen a script for The Batman Part II. However, Serkis believes the sequel’s screenplay will be “brilliant” because of his affinity for Reeves. Serkis then predicted The Batman Part II’s start date for filming and when fans can expect it in theaters.

“Basically, I know nothing about the movie other than that I’ve just found out that we’re probably likely to be starting filming early next year,” Serkis said. “Therefore, if you do the math, it’ll be a year and a half after that.”

Since James Gunn has set up an entire lineup of interconnected films and TV shows for DC, The Batman‘s connection to this new cinematic universe has been pondered. The Batman was produced before Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios, so Reeves’ franchise will remain separate from the new DC Universe.

Reeves originally revealed to Entertainment Weekly that The Batman, its sequels, and its spinoffs will exist in a separate universe called “The Batman Epic Crime Saga.” Based on this statement, audiences shouldn’t expect to see David Corenswet’s Superman encounter Pattinson’s Dark Knight on the big screen.

More recently, though, it seems like there has been some reason to suspect that Pattinson’s world could merge with Gunn’s broader project.

“What the future brings, I can’t really tell you. I have no idea right now, except that my head is down now about getting The Batman: Part II shooting and to make it something really special, which is, of course, the most important thing,” Reeves explained to MTV News.

The recent delay of The Batman Part II to 2027 coincided with the delay of director Andy Muschietti’s Batman film, The Brave and the Bold, which is set in the DCU. This may lead one to wonder if Gunn will integrate The Batman Part II into the DCU after all. Gunn himself admitted on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he floated the idea but still wishes to keep both franchises separate.

“I’ve contemplated it, yeah. I contemplate everything,” Gunn said. “I talk about everything… I’d be an idiot not to think of how can this go or how can this go, but I’m committed to both telling stories in the DCU and telling Elseworlds stories.”

Hey, DC, if Marvel could make two Spider-Man franchises at the same time, DC could do the same with two different Batmen.

The Hollywood Reporter has questioned whether the movie even exists or whether there’s someone actively working on it. Muschietti confirmed in October 2025 that the movie was still happening, but he couldn’t discuss it further for at least another two months.