The Batman introduced a gritty, gothic world where the Riddler is the Zodiac Killer and Batman is a sullen Robert Pattinson who listens to Nirvana. But since the first movie premiered in 2022, there have been next to no updates about what’s next for this version of the Caped Crusader.
While the The Batman universe is still expanding thanks to the upcoming HBO series The Penguin, what’s ahead for the flagship movies? Director Matt Reeves finally has some information about the future of his film series — and what could possibly be in Part II.
In a conversation with Collider, Reeves revealed that even though it’s been two years since The Batman aired, this series is still on track to become a trilogy. “Yes, that is still the plan," Reeves said, "I mean, it’s sticking very closely to the path we envisioned." However, it’s not sticking exactly to the original plan. “Things kind of shifted,” he said. “So, when we came up with the idea to do The Penguin, that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin's story, and wanted to tell this story of his beginning of rise to power.” Instead of telling that story in The Batman Part II, it became its own story.
But now there’s a TV series to tie together the two movies, how does the chronology work out? The Batman took place around Election Day in November, and The Penguin takes place only about a week afterward. “The story plays out over the next weeks that take you toward the end of the year,” Reeves said. “We don't play Christmas or New Years, but we're getting there.”
We don’t know how long the gap between when The Penguin ends and when The Batman Part II picks up after it, but if it is a week like the gap at the beginning, then it's possible the next movie will be set at Christmas, much like fellow Batman sequel Batman Returns. The Batman Part II is set to film early next year, so a wintery adventure does seem likely.
The Batman may be gearing up for three movies, but it will probably be slow going. The first movie was delayed thanks to the pandemic, and the second movie had the release date delayed an entire year to 2026. If that pace keeps up, we may not see the third and final entry in this trilogy until 2030. Hopefully, we’ll get some more TV spinoffs to tide us over. A gritty Joker miniseries may be the only way the wait could be bearable.
