The Batman 2 Gets Release Date as DCU Reveals Its Larger Batman Plan - IGN

The Batman 2 Gets Release Date as DCU Reveals Its Larger Batman Plan

Matt Reeves' Batman confirmed to be getting its own trilogy as the DCU picks up The Brave and the Bold.

Updated: Feb 4, 2023 5:08 am Posted: Jan 31, 2023 5:05 pm

Matt Reeves' sequel to The Batman, now titled The Batman - Part II — officially has a release date. The anticipated follow-up to the Robert Pattinson's noir-drenched turn as the Caped Crusader will be out October 3, 2025.

The announcement was part of the reveal of Warner Bros. Discovery's broader plan for the new DC Universe and its various side projects, more than one of which features Batman. In addition to announcing the release date, DCU architects James Gunn and Peter Safran also confirmed that The Batman will be a trilogy.

Matt is working on [The Batman - Part II], which he thinks of as a Batman crime saga, which also includes the Penguin TV series," Gunn explained. "And it is its own thing and he's hard at work on that. He came in and pitched us some amazing, really cool stuff the other day. So our plan is for that to continue."

"And Batman's not a stepchild. I mean, it's all under DC," Safran added. "We are fully invested in the success of the Batman, just like we are everything else."

Reeves had been reportedly interested in turning The Batman into a trilogy since at least 2019, having previously discussed his ideas for a full Batman arc. Earlier this month, the movies were confirmed to be separate from Gunn and Safran's new DCU.

The Batman: Every Live-Action Version of Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin, and More

Having first appeared on the screen in 1943, Batman has delivered close to 80 years of live-action awesomeness, so let's take a look at the live-action legacy of the characters in The Batman: from Bruce to Alfred to Selina to Jim Gordon and beyond.<b>Warning: Spoilers for The Batman follow.</b>

Bruce Wayne/Batman<p>Adam West (1960s Batman series & 1966 Batman movie) <p>Batman would soar to new heights of popularity thanks to Adam West's portrayal of the character in the fun, campy 1960s TV series and that show's big Batman movie spinoff. For this generation of TV viewers (which included director Joel Schumacher amongst its ranks), West was THE Batman. And the tongue-in-cheek tone of the series was the ideal Batman presentation.

Bruce Wayne/Batman<p>Michael Keaton (1989's Batman & 1992's Batman Begins - plus 2022's The Flash) <p>Director Tim Burton brought the darker elements of Batman to light in his gloriously gothic Batman movies, casting (mostly) comedic actor Michael Keaton in the brooding lead role (much to the dismay of some fans at the time, who, lacking internet, were just to forced to be mad alone in a room). But Keaton was magnificent and mesmerizing in the role, with the drawback being his two movies focused more on the villains than Batman himself. In a miraculous move though, Keaton's returning to the Bruce Wayne this year, in The Flash.

Bruce Wayne/Batman<p>Val Kilmer and George Clooney (1995's Batman Forever and 1997's Batman & Robin) <p>Val Kilmer and George Clooney played the Bruce Wayne/Batman role in Joel Schumacher's lighter, cartoon-ier 90s Batman films, neither one exactly creating a lasting impression with the part. Clooney even still considers himself to be the man who killed the Batman franchise for a long stretch.

Bruce Wayne/Batman<p>Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Trilogy) <p>It may have taken us a few beats to get used to his

The Brave and the Bold

So what will their own version of Batman look like? According to Gunn and Safran, the DCU Batman will be based on Grant Morrison's run with the series, which featured Batman's son Damian Wayne as a deadly protége trained by the League of Assassins.

"So this is the introduction of the DCU's Batman. It is not Robert Pattinson. It is not Ben Affleck," Gunn said. "[T]his is a story of Damian Wayne, who is Batman's actual son, who we didn't know existed for the first eight to 10 years of his life. He was raised as a little murderer and assassin. He's a little son of a bitch. He's my favorite Robin. It's based on the Grant Morrison comic book run, which is one of my favorite Batman runs. And we are putting that all together right now."

"This is obviously a feature film, and it's going to feature other members of the extended Bat-Family," Safran continued. "Just because we feel like they've been left out of the Batman stories in the theater for far too long."

The Brave and the Bold is a comic book series with roots in the mid-1950s, and has historically been a team-up book featuring Batman. Grant Morrison's Batman and Son, meanwhile, debuted back in 2006, and has been described as one of the most significant stories in Batman's recent history.

The DC Movies in (Chronological) Order

Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)<p>Where to Watch: HBO Max <br>As with Wonder Woman, its 2018 sequel is a period piece, this time primarily set in the year 1984. The events of this film bring Wonder Woman to face off against Cheetah (Kristen Wiig) and Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal). Wonder Woman 1984 takes place before all other DCEU films besides the original, and doesn’t feature too many tie-ins to other characters or movies.

Man of Steel (2013)<p>Where to Watch: HBO Max <br>Man of Steel is the movie that kicked off the DCEU and introduced the world to Henry Cavill’s Superman. The film begins by showing audiences the destruction of Kal-El’s home planet of Krypton before depicting Earth in roughly the year 2013. Clark Kent grows up and becomes the legendary Superman (spoilers, in case you hadn’t heard by now), and is accompanied by some familiar faces along the way, including Lois Lane (Amy Adams), General Zod (Michael Shannon), Martha Kent (Diane Lane), Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), and more.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)<p>Where to Watch: HBO Max <br>Very loosely based on a pivotal fight in the classic DC comic The Dark Knight Returns, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice takes place eighteen months after the events of Man of Steel, and tells the story of how Batman (Ben Affleck) reacts to the idea of an alien as powerful as Superman having free reign. <br>This film marks the first time Batman and Superman have starred in a live-action film together, and it also introduced audiences to modern film versions of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons), and more. <br>DC fans were also treated to a live-action version of the Superman villain Doomsday as well as a tease of DC Comics’ ultimate baddie, Darkseid.

Suicide Squad (2016)<p>Where to Watch: HBO Max <br>The first of the Suicide Squad films takes place about a year after Batman v Superman and even features a quick cameo by Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight. Unlike the classic superheroes featured in that film, however, Suicide Squad stars a group of imprisoned criminals and supervillains who are recruited by government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to join what is officially known as Task Force X. The group is tasked with completing a seemingly impossible mission in exchange for a reduction of their prison sentences. However, if they stray from the mission, nanite bombs implanted into their necks will explode. <br>A divisive film, Suicide Squad nonetheless features an all-star cast. Will Smith stars as Deadshot, Margot Robbie gets her debut performance as Harley Quinn, and certain other recurring characters get their first bit of screen time, including Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney). Oh, and this is the film that introduced the world to Jared Leto’s take on Joker.

A broader roadmap for the DCU

It's all part of a broader roadmap for the new DCU, which will feature five new films and five television series for a total of 10 projects. Titled Gods and Monsters, Safran said in a prepared statement that it will tell "cohesive stories that highlight love, compassion, and the innate goodness of the human spirit." They include new stories featuring Superman, Swamp Thing, and more.

As for The Batman, Reeves' project was one of DC's major creative bright spots, earning extremely positive reviews from fans and critics alike. Gunn, Safran, and Reeves will seek to retain the momentum generated by last year's release, timing out releases so they don't interfere with one another.

The process will begin with The Flash, which will seek to hit the reset button on the DCU. Afterward, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will lead into Superman: Legacy, which is when the DCU will truly begin in earnest.

The next DC release is Shazam: Fury of the Gods on March 17, with The Flash following on June 16. You can find lots more info on everything announced during Gunn and Safran's press conference right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.