The world of DC Comics films and the DC Comics Extended Universe (DCEU) has been through some dramatic shakeups lately. Following the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, the DC Comics film slate underwent some changes, which included the scrapping of Batgirl and the delayed release of Jason Momoa's Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Zachary Levi's Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Amidst all these, there have also been questions regarding the rest of the company's production pipeline. This, of course, includes the sequel to Matt Reeves' box office hit The Batman, which sees Robert Pattinson take on the role of the caped crusader. Given that there are no updates recently, is it still happening?
Following the success of The Batman, Warner Bros. wasted no time letting fans know that a sequel was happening.
"Matt took one of our most iconic and beloved superheroes and delivered a fresh vision," Toby Emmerich, then-movie chief of Warner Bros., revealed during Warner Bros. and DC's presentation at the event, according to Yahoo.
"Matt Reeves, Rob Pattinson, and the entire team will be taking audiences back to Gotham with The Batman 2."
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At the time of the announcement, the studio didn't offer any further details. Other than Pattinson, it was also not confirmed who else from the cast would be returning.
Warner Bros. Discovery may have been quick to axe Batgirl, but Reeves' The Batman sequel remains in the newly formed company's production slate. Even better, the director has also inked a first-look deal with the studio along with his production company, 6th & Idaho.
Under this agreement, various Warner Bros. Pictures Group divisions, which are under CEOs and Co-Chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, have first-look rights to Reeves' work as a director, producer, and/or writer.
At the same time, Reeves also re-upped his deal with Warner Bros. Television Group and its new chairman Channing Dungey. Among Reeves' first projects with the group is a series spinoff to The Batman that focuses on Colin Farrell's The Penguin.
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"Pam and I gratefully inherited the relationship with Matt from The Batman, and through the beginning stages of planning The Penguin series for HBO Max," De Luca said in a statement.
"We were excited to nail down his overall deal because it's a cornerstone of what we want to do with the filmmakers that are working at the studio. We want to create an atmosphere where all of these filmmakers can excel and do their work and stay with us once they are inside the Warners family. Keeping Matt and creating a home for him to do more projects in the Batman universe but also originals, was very important to us."
"Matt is one of the most imaginative and creative minds in the business," Dungey also said. "We look forward to continuing our partnership with the wonderful 6th & Idaho team and expanding the world Matt so artfully created with The Batman film through our upcoming series The Penguin."
Meanwhile, further details regarding Reeves' The Batman 2 are still being kept under wraps for now. That said, fans seem to be under the impression that Pattinson is set to go head-to-head with Barry Keoghan's character who was just credited as the "Unseen Arkham Inmate" following Reeves' revelation that he is the Joker.
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However, the director has also since clarified that he didn't mean to set up Keoghan for a sequel since he had no idea if part 2 was happening back then. "It's not an Easter egg scene. It's not one of those end credits Marvel or DC scenes where it's going, like, 'Hey, here's the next movie!'" Reeves explained in March 2022. "In fact, I have no idea when or if we would return to that character in the movies."
At the same time, it also seems that Reeves' plans for the Caped Crusader go beyond a follow-up film to The Batman.
"What I really wanted this movie to do was create a Batverse," the director once revealed. "You don't do a story and go, 'This is Chapter 1' because you might not get to do Chapter 2. So, the story had to stand on its own. But the thing about it is that the Bat world is so rich with character that as you're starting to come to an end, you can already start thinking about the next thing. Because the idea, of course, is that Gotham's story never ends."
It's also a move that Warner Bros. Discovery seems to welcome. "We're making an investment for whatever Matt feels a pull toward, in the Batman universe and otherwise," De Luca confirmed. He also further said that the director has "an open invitation to go wherever his interests take him."
Although The Batman 2 and The Penguin series are confirmed, Warner Bros. Discovery is yet to announce release dates for the said projects. Meanwhile, Reeves is also said to be in talks for a Batman Arkham series.