Warner Bros has delayed The Batman Part II for a second time, pushing the release of Matt Reeves’ sequel to 18 February 2028, nearly six years after Robert Pattinson first appeared as the caped crusader in 2022.
Reeves announced the new date on Thursday by releasing the first camera test footage from the film, offering audiences their first look at Pattinson back in costume as production continues.
The brief footage, shared by Reeves on social media, shows Pattinson standing in the rain wearing Batman’s updated suit before turning towards the camera.
The clip ends by revealing the sequel’s new release date of 18 February 2028.
A fan pointed out that the cowl appeared to have noticeably longer ears than those seen in the first film, to which Reeves responded on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “You are not crazy.”
This postponement marks the second major delay for the sequel, which was originally set for release on 3 October 2025. DC Studios and Warner Bros then moved it to 1 October 2027 after the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, and has now moved to 2028, almost six years after The Batman premiered in March 2022.
The move gives Reeves additional time for post-production while also placing the film in a Presidents’ Day holiday release window in the US, where it will retain its planned Imax release, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Batman II will see Pattinson reprise his role as Bruce Wayne, alongside Jeffrey Wright as Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb, also known as the Penguin, Jayme Lawson as Mayor Bella Reál, and Gil Perez-Abraham as Officer Martinez.
In May this year, Reeves confirmed that Marvel stars Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan had joined the film’s cast, along with Charles Dance, Brian Tyree Henry, and Sebastian Koch.
Though plot details and casting have not been revealed, Stan appeared to confirm at the Cannes film festival that he will play the villain Two-Face. Fans had been speculating that The Apprentice star would be playing Harvey Dent and transform into Two-Face, one of Batman’s best-known antagonists.
Stan told Deadline that he would be travelling soon to London “over summer” to begin work on Reeves’ sequel, telling the outlet that he would play “many roles in this one”. In DC Comics, Dent is introduced as Gotham City’s district attorney and an ally of Batman before an attack leaves half his face disfigured, leading to the emergence of the criminal alter ego Two-Face.
Johansson’s casting fuelled speculation that the actor could play Gilda Dent, Harvey Dent’s wife in the Batman comics. In Batman: The Long Halloween, Gilda struggles as Dent becomes increasingly consumed by his war against Gotham’s mob families before eventually transforming into Two-Face.
The Batman was released in March 2022 and starred Robert Pattinson as a younger Bruce Wayne and Jeffrey Wright as Gotham City police lieutenant Jim Gordon who investigated a series of murders carried out by the Riddler, portrayed by Paul Dano.
The film went on to receive largely positive reviews from critics and made $772m worldwide.
