Production has been put on pause on the long-awaited sequel to The Batman, after director Matt Reeves was forced to step away from the project for personal reasons.
The sequel has already been delayed numerous times due to the Hollywood strikes of 2023 and leading man Robert Pattinson’s later commitments to The Odyssey and Dune: Part Three.
Filming finally began in May 2026, more than four years after the first movie hit cinemas, but it was announced on Monday that the shoot would be halted due to a personal matter.
“Production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily paused while Matt Reeves focuses on a family matter,” a rep for DC Studios told Deadline.
“Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon.”
Deadline noted it was “too early to say” if this will affect the movie’s planned release date, which was originally set for October 2025, before finally being bumped to February 2028.
It was also not made clear whether Matt is expected to return to the project when it resumes production, or if another filmmaker will take over on directing duties.
The Batman was a hit both critically and commercially upon its 2022 release, eventually spawning an award-winning spin-off, The Penguin, focussing on Colin Farrell’s character.
Colin is set to join Robert in the sequel, dubbed simply The Batman: Part II, with Jeffrey Wright and Andy Serkis also reprising their roles as Gotham Police officer Jim Gordon and butler Albert Pennyworth, respectively.
In the new film, Sebastian Stan will be introduced as Harvey Dent, otherwise known as Two-Face, with fellow Marvel alum Scarlett Johansson playing his wife, Gilda.
Barry Keoghan has also teased that he could reprise his role as The Joker, after making a brief cameo in the first movie.
