Key Takeaways
- The Batman Part 2 release date was delayed to 2026 due to industry strikes.
- Rumors claiming The Batman Part 2 cancellation were denied by James Gunn.
- Gunn plans to reboot the DCEU continuity, but The Batman Universe is not canceled.
The Batman Part 2 cancelation rumors are circulating the internet. However, James Gunn addressed those fears by posing a reasonable question to fans.
The Batman Part 2 release date was initially scheduled for October 2025 until it was pushed back a year later to 2026, reportedly due to the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes. In September 2024, fans were excited when a report claimed The Batman Part 2 script was complete and production was scheduled for 2025. However, Gunn recently claimed The Batman Part 2 script wasn’t finished and a recent The Hollywood Reporter article noted that while there was “hope” to start filming the sequel next year, nothing was close to being planned.
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This caused fans to resurrect an old rumor claiming The Batman Part 2 was canceled by DC Studios, which Gunn denied. On Threads, user Asger Bugge shared a screenshot of another user’s post claiming Matt Reeves’ The Batman Universe was “a myth.” This user argued that Batman actor Robert Pattinson was moving on to different projects (possibly a reference to his recent casting in Christopher Nolan’s next movie) and that the cast hasn’t heard anything from Reeves or anyone else at DC. They claimed Warner Bros. was saying The Batman Part 2 is still being written to avoid backlash from canceling Reeves’ cinematic universe. When this post was brought to Gunn‘s attention, the DC Studios boss reiterated that The Batman Part 2 is not canceled and asked what would be the point of pretending.
Even if The Batman Part 2 filming plans aren’t solidified, that’s not entirely why fans have concerns about the sequel’s fate. When Gunn was appointed the co-CEO of DC Studios, it was quickly clear that he planned to reboot the DCEU continuity and start fresh. While certain characters from the DCEU (primarily ones from Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker) will join the new DCU continuity, several projects that were started before Gunn assumed his role at DC Studios have since been canceled. A handful of developing projects will continue under the DC Elseworlds label, and Reeves’ The Batman Crime Saga has long been touted as one of the franchises that will exist separately from Gunn’s DCU. Still, some fans seemingly doubt this will remain the case partly because Gunn plans to introduce a new DCU version of Batman with a different actor in the role.
The CW’s Superman and Lois was supposedly canceled to avoid conflicting with Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, so why would Gunn be shy about canceling Reeves’ The Batman Universe? There’s no reason why Pattinson’s Batman can’t exist alongside the DCU Caped Crusader, which Gunn seemingly recognizes.
The Batman Part 2 is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 2, 2026.
The Batman Part II
The Batman Part II is the sequel to Matt Reeve’s The Batman, released in 2022, and will continue where the original film left off. The film shares a universe with the HBO Max original Penguin series and sees the return of the Riddler and a different incarnation of the Joker.
- Release Date
- October 2, 2026
- Director
- Matt Reeves
- Rating
- Not Yet Rated
- Genres
- Thriller, Action, Crime
- Studio(s)
- DC Studios
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- prequel(s)
- The Batman
- Franchise(s)
- Batman
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Source: James Gunn/Threads