James Gunn Addresses The 5-Year Gap Between Matt Reeves’ Batman Movies

Matt Reeves’ The Batman Part II has been pushed back multiple times and now James Gunn shares his thoughts about the delay.

Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, was a great success despite being released shortly after the pandemic. Warner Bros. was very pleased with Reeves’ work in giving the movie a “fresh vision.” In April 2022, the studio officially confirmed its sequel, later titled The Batman Part II, at the CinemaCon. The movie was initially set for release on October 2, 2025, but Warner Bros. pushed it back to October 2, 2026. However, recent reports said the film would not be released until October 1, 2027, giving the first film and anticipated sequel a five-year gap. Gunn, co-chair and co-CEO of DC Studios, reacted to the news.

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James Gunn Speaks Out in Defense Over Delay of The Batman Sequel

Many fans have discussed the continuous delay in releasing The Batman Part II on social media. Gunn took to Threads and shared his thoughts about the matter, and he seemingly defended Reeves by sharing the timeline of the other projects, which sequels also took over five years. “To be fair, a 5-year gap or more is fairly common in sequels,” Gunn wrote. “7 years between Alien and Aliens. 14 years between Incredibles. 7 years between the first two Terminators. 13 years between Avatars. 36 years between Top Guns. And, of course, 6 years between Guardians Vol 2 and Vol 3.“

Gunn also confirmed The Batman sequel’s 2027 release date by responding to another Threads user asking about a report from The Hollywood Reporter claiming The Batman Part II’s release date had been moved twice, from 2025 to 2026 and now to 2027. Gunn attributed the delay to a lack of script. “Sure. Yes, it is true,” Gunn responded. “The only reason for the delay is there isn’t a full script (those of you who follow me here probably know that already). Matt is committed to making the best film he possibly can, and no one can accurately guess exactly how long a script will take to write. Once there is a finished script, there is around two years for pre-production, shooting and post-production on big films.”

The continuous delay of The Batman’s sequel has received mixed responses online. Some were fine with it as long as the next film would be better than the first one. They understood that sequels could take time and acknowledged that Reeves had other projects to attend to. However, some were disappointed because the film had already been moved to 2026, and it was the second time its release date was pushed back.

Reeves is known for being meticulous and prioritizes quality over rushing deadlines, so it’s okay to take his time as long as he delivers. There are high expectations for The Batman Part II because the first film performed well at the box office, so the sequel should be better. Reeves is already working on the script for the sequel; he previously shared one of the challenges Batman would face in the upcoming movie. According to the director, Batman will have a hard time “when things are in grey” because the sequel will show how the corrupt and dysfunctional system forces the people to change for survival, which could prompt Batman to alter his perception from viewing the bad guys as villains to complex individuals.

The Batman Part II is expected to hit theaters on October 1, 2027.

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Source: James Gunn/Thread