‘The Batman Part II’ Pauses Production as Matt Reeves Steps Away

Warner Bros. and DC Studios have temporarily halted production on “The Batman Part II” while director Matt Reeves steps away to deal with a family matter, Deadline and Variety reported on Monday, Oct. 5.

The studio confirmed the pause in a short statement: “Production on ‘The Batman Part II’ has been temporarily paused while Matt Reeves focuses on a family matter. Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon.” No other details were released, and TheWrap said more information has not been given out of respect for Reeves’ privacy.

Before the pause, the sequel had been filming in London, according to Deadline and TheWrap. The film is currently dated for Feb. 18, 2028. Deadline’s sources say it is too early to know whether the stoppage will affect that date, and TheWrap noted the date could change depending on how long the pause lasts.

The timing matters because the project has already moved several times. Variety notes that “The Batman Part II” was once set for Oct. 2, 2026, before Warner Bros. pushed it to Oct. 1, 2027, and then, in July, to February 2028. TheWrap called this the first time the studio has openly acknowledged something going on behind the scenes, after years in which fans treated the delays as a running joke.

Robert Pattinson returns as the Caped Crusader, with Andy Serkis back as Alfred and Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Deadline reports. The cast also includes Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Jayme Lawson, Charles Dance, Gil Perez-Abraham and Sebastian Koch, and Variety and TheWrap also list Jeffrey Wright. Plot details have not been revealed.

Pattinson has hinted at a bigger swing this time. “It’s a real left turn from the first one, but somehow it keeps elements of the kind of feel of it. But it just feels really ambitious,” he told Collider in a recent interview, as quoted by Variety.

Reeves’ first film, “The Batman,” opened in March 2022 to strong reviews and launched a wider franchise. Reeves executive produced HBO’s spinoff series “The Penguin,” starring Farrell, which TheWrap notes earned 24 Emmy nominations and won nine, including the lead actress award for Cristin Milioti.

DC Studios boss James Gunn previously defended the long gap between the two films. After the first delay, he wrote on Threads that “a 5-year gap or more is fairly common in sequels,” pointing to “Alien” and “Aliens,” the “Terminator” films and the “Top Gun” movies, Variety reports.

The pause is one more test for one of the studio’s biggest franchise films as Warner Bros. moves into new ownership under the newly merged Skydance. For now, the studio’s message is support for its director and a plan to resume. For more studio and box office news, visit our Studio page.

Verification: The production pause, the studio statement, the London shoot, the Feb. 18, 2028, release date and the cast were reported by Deadline (Oct. 5) and Variety (Oct. 5), with additional details from TheWrap.