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The long-awaited sequel to The Batman is being hit with another production delay.
Warner Bros and DC Studios announced Monday that production on the sequel is being paused as director Matt Reeves has been forced to step away for personal reasons, according to Deadline.
“Production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily paused while Matt Reeves focuses on a family matter,” DC Studios said in a statement.
“Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon.”
The Independent has reached out to the studios for comment.
The star-studded sequel to the 2022 blockbuster will see Robert Pattinson return in his role as the titular superhero. Andy Serkis and Colin Farrell are also set to return to the franchise as Alfred Pennyworth and Oz Cobb, also known as the Penguin, respectively.
The production update comes after the film was already postponed twice. The sequel was originally set for release on October 3, 2025, but was pushed to October 1, 2027 after the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes.
It was then postponed again to give Reeves more time for post-production, as well as to put the film in the Presidents’ Day holiday release window.
Before the pause, the movie was set to premiere February 18, 2028. It is unclear if the hiatus will impact the release schedule again.
The movie started production in May before kicking off filming in London in June. Pictures taken in Glasgow in June showed the city transformed into Gotham City for the shoot.
The sequel is the follow-up to The Batman, which earned more than $772 million at the global box office upon its release in March 2022.
Batman II will see Pattinson reprise his role as Bruce Wayne, alongside Jeffrey Wright as Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, Jayme Lawson as Mayor Bella Reál and Gil Perez-Abraham as Officer Martinez.
Production’s slow start has previously sparked concern with fans, as speculation ran rampant last year over whether the film would be canceled entirely.
However, DC Studios head James Gunn assured fans last year that Reeves was working on the script for the highly anticipated sequel at his own pace.
“That’s the other thing I hear all the time — that Batman Part II is canceled. It’s not canceled. We don’t have a script. Matt’s slow,” the Superman director told Rolling Stone in June 2025.
Gunn urged fans to “let him take his time. Let him do what he’s doing. God, people are mean. Let him do his thing, man.”
