Director Matt Reeves is hard at work expanding his vision for Gotham City. The filmmaker, who helmed 2022’s The Batman, recently confirmed that the highly-anticipated sequel, The Batman: Part II, is moving forward, with filming set to begin sometime in 2025. Meanwhile, HBO’s The Penguin series, a spinoff from Reeves’ Batman universe, is already in discussions for a second season following its successful debut on HBO.
In a conversation with The Batman star Zoë Kravitz for Variety, Reeves shared that work on the script for The Batman: Part II is progressing steadily. “Yeah, we’re finishing the script. We’re going to be shooting next year,” Reeves confirmed during the interview.
Why Is The Batman Sequel taking so long?
Kravitz commended Reeves for his detailed approach to storytelling, noting how much care he puts into the process. “You’re an incredibly meticulous filmmaker. I just asked you how it’s going with writing [‘Part II’] and you said, ‘Slow,’ and I think that’s a wonderful quality, because you care so much,” she said.
Reeves acknowledged the challenges of his methodical process. “It’s wonderful, except for the speed of getting something done,” he explained. “The thing is that for me, I feel like it’s not a choice. I always feel like I would never do it the way I’m doing it, except that that’s the only way I know how to do it.”
To further explain his creative approach, Reeves described the process as navigating a dark room. “The metaphor that I use when I’m talking to my partners is that writing and filmmaking is like being in a dark room. Everything you need is in the room, but there are no lights, and you’re on hands and knees. And when something connects, you go, ‘Oh, that’s something.'”
As Reeves continues work on the Batman sequel, HBO is also looking to expand the Bat-Verse with more of The Penguin. “Yeah, we’re talking to [showrunner] Lauren [LeFranc] about doing another season,” Reeves confirmed. “That was a special experience. I just feel really fortunate. These characters don’t belong to me; they belong to the world. It comes down to whether you can approach them in a way that expresses something personal.”
While there have been discussions about potentially merging Reeves’ Batman world with James Gunn and Peter Safran’s reimagined DC Universe, it appears unlikely for now. Reeves’ Gotham-centered world will continue to exist as a separate Elseworlds storyline, allowing it to maintain its distinct tone and style, while Gunn and Safran focus on establishing their interconnected DCU with projects like Superman and Lanterns.
Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe!
