Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman came out in 2022, yet another successful movie about the Caped Crusader. The HBO spinoff series The Penguin, which came out last year, might have been even better, to the point where fans are craving a second season. But as he revealed to MTV News, Reeves is firmly focused right now on getting The Batman: Part II off the ground.
"Our plan and our hope is absolutely to do another season [of The Penguin]," Reeves said. "We just have to come up with the idea that we think is the right idea, which is what we're working on." But first, the Penguin will appear in The Batman: Part II, which was recently delayed by a full year, from October 2, 2026 to October 1, 2027. Apparently, the delay happened because Reeves wanted more time to get the script into order, although he sounds like he's now happy with it. "This year we're gonna be shooting and I've very excited about it. There's been a lot of stuff going on and it's taking longer than I would have wanted, but I'm super-excited about what we’re doing, so I really can’t wait to share that with everybody.”
While Reeves obviously wouldn't reveal exactly which villain Batman would be fighting in the next movie, he at least confirmed that they have a bad guy nailed down. "Yes, of course, or we'd really be in trouble."
"The story is a continuation in a certain way and completely different in another, and it's gonna show different sides of Rob. I think it's going to be really exciting. It's going to be really cool."
Assuming the movie doesn't get hit by any more delays, that means the second movie in The Batman series, starring Robert Pattinson Pattinson in the title role, will come out five years after the first, with The Penguin giving fans something to munch on in the meantime. Both the movie and the show were excellent, so it's a shame to have to wait so long for continuations, but I suppose quality takes time. “I would love to do more [spinoff series]...Obviously we’re talking about doing the second season of The Penguin, but my big priority is to get The Batman 2 shooting and going and then it’ll be exciting to see where we’ll go from there,” Reeves concluded.
Will Robert Pattinson's Batman ever show up in James Gunn's DC Cinematic Universe?
The Batman and The Penguin are both part of what Reeves has called "The Batman Epic Crime Saga," essentially his own little cinematic universe devoted to Bruce Wayne and his famous rogues gallery. That's an interesting idea, although it's a little weird that James Gunn and Peter Safran are building out their own huge DC Cinematic Universe at the same time, which will start in earnest when Gunn's Superman movie lands in theaters this July. So far as we know, there will be an entirely separate Batman played by an entirely different actor in Gunn's DCU. But have he and Reeves ever talked about including Pattinson's Batman in this new continuity?
Yes, they have talked about it, but it doesn't sound like they've come to any firm conclusion. "It really comes down to whether or not it makes sense," Reeves said. "It's been important to me to be able to play that out. And James and Peter have been really really great about that, and they're letting us do that. And what the future brings, I can't really tell you. I have no idea right now. My head is down now about getting The Batman: Part II shooting and to make it something really really special, which of course is the most important thing."
So far as superheroes go, Batman is one of the most dependable box office draws. Still, having two actors playing Batman in two separate series of films could stretch things past the breaking point. If there's a way to incorporate Pattinson's Batman into Gunn's new DCU, it might be for the best, but it remains to be seen if that can happen without compromising the integrity of these two budding cinematic universes.
Daredevil: Born Again trailer delayed due to California wildfires
That's a lot of DC talk. What's happening over in the world of Marvel superheroes? Well, a Daredevil revival series called Daredevil: Born Again will premiere on Disney+ on March 4, but we have yet to get a full-proper trailer. Apparently we were supposed to get one by this point, but star Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk) offered a very simple explanation for why it's been delayed on Twitter: "Postponed because of LA fires. It's coming."
The wildfires raging in southern California have killed 24 people, forced many others to evacuate their homes, destroying land and property, and disrupted the film and TV industries. Hopefully they get under control as soon as possible so the rebuilding can begin. If you'd like to help the disaster relief efforts, you can considering donating here.
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