A sequel to “The Batman” was formally announced by Warner Bros. Pictures during the studio’s presentation at CinemaCon on Tuesday night, with director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson set to return.
“The Batman” was released exclusively in theaters on March 4, 2022 and has now grossed over $750 million at the worldwide box office, also racking up positive reviews for director and co-writer Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson’s detective-centric take on the Caped Crusader.
No new release date was announced for “The Batman 2.”
Pattinson said ahead of the film’s release that he and Reeves had discussed making a trilogy of “Batman” films, with the actor enthusiastic about how “The Batman” turned out and eager to continue exploring this iteration of the character.
“The Batman” started life as a Ben Affleck vehicle and was originally intended to be a standalone spinoff of his character from Zack Snyder’s universe of Batman movies. Affleck co-wrote a script with DC executive Geoff Johns that would’ve continued the story of his character, but he bowed out of the director’s chair in January 2017, after which Reeves came on board as the film’s new director and writer.
When Affleck chose not to star in the film altogether, Reeves seized the opportunity to craft a new story not connected to the existing DC universe. He cast Pattinson as a younger iteration of Bruce Wayne, and chose to tell a story that took place in Wayne’s second year of hitting the streets as Batman.
“The Batman” found Pattinson contending with Paul Dano’s serial killer villain The Riddler, while also introducing early incarnations of Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Penguin (Colin Farrell) and even The Joker (Barry Keoghan). Farrell is getting his own HBO Max series to further the story of his character, Oswald Cobblepot.
“The Batman” was released on the WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max 45 days after it first hit theaters, on April 23, and is continuing to introduce fans to this new take on Gotham City and its inhabitants.
The film also stars Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis and Peter Sarsgaard.
