The Batman has been one of the most successful comic book films in recent years, both critically and financially. Now, it appears that success will continue to build, as a sequel has officially been confirmed with star Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves both set to return.
Following an impressive $134M opening domestic weekend, The Batman is currently the highest-grossing film of 2022 (as it is now nearing $760M worldwide) and only the second pandemic-era movie to earn over $100M in a single weekend following Spider-Man: No Way Home. Critically, the film has also been met with rave reviews, as many have claimed the film to feature the best live-action depiction of the Dark Knight.
During its Tuesday evening presentation at CinemaCon, Warner Bros. revealed its plans for another story starring Pattinson's caped crusader. Writer and director Matt Reeves announced that he will also return to helm The Batman 2 and that he will be joined by "the whole team" for the sequel. "This is thrilling for me," Reeves said before noting that he's a huge fan of the character and that he "is excited to jump back into this world for the next chapter." While no details were provided on The Batman sequel, Reeves did promise that he would have more information at a future CinemaCon.
Fans have been speculating that the story could see the live-action debut of the Court of Owls. In the comics, the Court of Owls is a villainous group of cult-like members who are known for wearing owl masks and kidnapping children and training them to become assassins. Other than Pattinson sharing in a recent interview that he would like to cross paths with the group, the Court of Owls certainly fit right into Reeves' more gothic and sinister universe that is closely related to the comics.
While featuring that group is a very likely scenario, with the Riddler still alive and now knowing of Barry Keoghan's Joker, there is no telling what or who Reeves will focus on. But whatever turns out to be the case, Reeves and the whole team will surely create something truly unique for the sequel, just like its predecessor. Until more details surrounding the sequel begin to surface online, fans can revisit the newly established universe Reeves' has created by streaming The Batman on HBO Max.
To satisfy even more fans, two other spin-off series are in early development for HBO Max, one following Colin Farrell's the Penguin and the other focusing on Arkham Asylum. The Batman also stars Paul Dano as The Riddler, Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, Jeffrey Wright as James Gordon, John Turturro as Carmine Falcone, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Peter Sarsgaard as district attorney Gil Colson.
The Batman sequel is in early development.
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures