The Batman 2 is still happening, despite pushed back release dates and cancellation rumors, and we can confirm that a script has finally been turned in to DC and Warner Bros. Though things are finally moving in terms of production, it's going to be quite some time until The Batman 2, one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming superhero movies, hits theaters (and most likely IMAX).
Matt Reeves is returning to direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mattson Tomlin, and Robert Pattinson will return as Gotham's Dark Knight. It's important to note right up top that while the film is part of the ever-growing list of upcoming DC movies and shows, it exists in its own universe alongside The Penguin (and a plethora of other planned spin-offs).
Details on the upcoming sequel might feel a little scarce, but there's plenty of news to catch up on. And now that pre-production is underway, updates will probably be a bit more frequent. Below, we've got everything you need to know about The Batman 2, including when we might get a trailer, who might be in the cast, and more. There are also some spoilers for The Penguin, so we recommend catching up on the HBO Max series before scrolling down below.
The Batman 2 release date
The Batman 2 release date has a planned release date of October 1, 2027. That's much later than originally planned, though. The movie was delayed a full year from October 2, 2026, which was a new date from a previous delay from October 3, 2025. Given that the movie isn't set to start filming until 2026, it isn't out of the realm of possibility for the date to be pushed back again.
The Batman 2 trailer: when might we get one?
Production on the movie isn't set to begin until 2026, so we probably won't see a trailer until 2027. The first trailer for The Batman, though, was released pretty early, arriving as part of DC Fandome in August 2020 (just seven months after production began in January 2020).
The movie itself arrived in March 2022, though it likely would have arrived earlier if it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic. When cameras do finally roll, we can hopefully expect a trailer later in the year, meaning our best guess is mid-late 2026.
The Batman 2 cast speculation
We don't have too many updates here other than the obvious: Robert Pattinson will absolutely be returning as the Nirvana-listing, eyeliner-wearing Bruce Wayne. However, the Penguin series finale did see none other than Sofia Falcone receive a letter from her half-sister Selina Kyle while at Arkham Asylum...so it's quite possible we may see Sofia in The Batman 2, especially since Colin Farrell has confirmed his return as Oz.
You might also remember that Barry Keoghan was set to play the Joker in The Batman before the scene was ultimately scrapped and later revealed online. In a 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, Keoghan all but confirmed that he would reprise the role in The Batman 2, though later that year he told Yahoo! that he hadn't been contacted about it yet.
Here's what we expect the cast to look like so far:
- Robert Pattinson – Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Andy Serkis – Alfred Pennyworth
- Jeffrey Wright – Jim Gordon
- Zoë Kravitz – Selina Kyle/Catwoman
- Colin Farrell – Oz Cobb/The Penguin
- Cristin Milioti – Sofia Falcone
The Batman 2 plot speculation
In June 2025, a report was released that claimed Matt Reeves was finally set to turn in his script for The Batman 2 – just days after James Gunn said that although they didn't have a script, the movie definitely wasn't cancelled. On June 27, Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin posted a photo of the finished Batman 2 script with the first page blurred out, confirming that it had been turned in. Though Warner Bros. has yet to make a statement, the studio is reportedly "thrilled" with the script overall.
Keep in mind that the sequel was greenlit back in April 2022, with an original 2025 release date. Now that the film is due out in 2027, that marks five years between the films (though we're sure it'll be more than worth the wait). A rumor also popped up earlier this year that Reeves would write the script, but no longer direct – which Gunn debunked with a simple, "Huh?"
In terms of plot, our only real hint is The Penguin spin-off series, which takes place after the events of The Batman and before the events of The Batman 2. At the end of the series, Sofia Falcone receives a letter from her half-sister Selina Kyle...and the finale ends on the Bat signal being lit up in the sky. There was also some fan speculation that Dr. Julian Rush, Sofia's psychiatrist, was being set-up to become Scarecrow...but this was later debunked by showrunner Lauren LeFranc.
We also can't forget about Barry Keoghan's Joker, who, in a deleted scene from The Batman 2, seemingly steals the paperclips from Batman's file...implying an escape from Arkham. Though Keoghan said in 2024 that he was unsure whether he would reprise the role, we wouldn't put it past Matt Reeves to revolve The Batman 2 around something epic like an all-out escape from Arkham.
In terms of scarce plot details that have actually been confirmed, Robert Pattinson teased that the sequel is "cool," while Colin Farrell has confirmed that he has "five or six" scenes in the movie.
We also know that The Batman universe is separate from the new DCU spearheaded by Gunn and Peter Safran, beginning with Chapter One: Gods and Monsters, so the events of Superman, Supergirl, Lanterns, and so forth will have no bearing on the film. Gunn previously stated that he wouldn't "rule out" blending the DCU and DC Studios (where Reeves' Batman universe exists), but it's highly likely that the DCU will have its own separate and tonally different Batman.
That's a wrap on The Batman 2. While you wait, check out our guide on how to watch all the DC movies in order, for everything else the DCU has in store.
