The Batman Part II paused: what we know about Matt Reeves’ break and the 2028 date

Filming on The Batman Part II has stopped for now. DC Studios confirmed on Monday 5 October that director Matt Reeves is stepping away to deal with a family matter. The sequel had been shooting in London since June and is due in cinemas on 18 February 2028. Here is what the studio has said, what it could mean for the release date and where the long-delayed sequel stands.

By Editorial Team

What we know

• The pause (FACT). DC Studios said in a statement: “Production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily paused while Matt Reeves focuses on a family matter. Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon.” Deadline first reported the news, and The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Polygon confirmed it.
• Where filming stood (FACT). Cameras started rolling in London in June, after the start date was pushed back several times while Reeves and co-writer Mattson Tomlin finished the script, The Hollywood Reporter says.
• The release date (FACT, for now). The film is still dated for 18 February 2028. Deadline’s sources said it is too early to know whether the pause will affect that (REPORTED).
• How long (unknown). Neither the studio nor Reeves has said how long the break will last.

The studio has given no details about the family matter, and we will not speculate about it. It is a private matter for Reeves and his family.

Why The Batman Part II has taken so long

The pause is the latest stop in a long journey. The first film, The Batman, opened in March 2022 and grossed $770.3 million worldwide, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A sequel was announced soon after, but writing took longer than planned.

The sequel was first meant to open in October 2025. It then moved to October 2026, then October 2027 and, in July this year, to February 2028, according to Polygon and Variety. If the February 2028 date holds, almost six years will have passed between the two films.

DC Studios co-head James Gunn defended the wait after an earlier delay. “To be fair, a 5-year gap or more is fairly common in sequels,” he wrote on Threads, Variety reports. He pointed to the seven years between Alien and Aliens, and the 13 years between the first two Avatar films.

Who is in the cast

Robert Pattinson returns as Bruce Wayne. Pattinson is having a busy year: his A24 film Primetime opened in US cinemas in late September, as we covered in our Primetime box office report.

Returning alongside him, per Deadline and Polygon:

• Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth
• Colin Farrell as Oz Cobb, the Penguin
• Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner James Gordon

New additions confirmed by Deadline include Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Jayme Lawson, Charles Dance, Gil Perez-Abraham and Sebastian Koch. Polygon reports that Stan plays Harvey Dent, the character who becomes Two-Face in the comics. Reports about the other roles, and about a possible return for Barry Keoghan’s Joker, remain unconfirmed (REPORTED).

What the pause means for the release date

A short pause does not always move a release date. Studios often build slack into big shoots, and the film is more than 16 months from release. But a longer break could push back post-production, which on a film with heavy visual effects usually takes many months. For now, the official date has not changed.

The timing is also notable because DC Studios has a new owner. Warner Bros., DC’s parent, became part of Skydance when the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger closed on 6 October, as we reported in our merger report. The Hollywood Reporter notes that Gunn and Peter Safran are staying on to run DC under the new ownership. Skydance has said it will release at least 30 films a year. See who runs Skydance for the leadership team.

What else Reeves has coming

Reeves’s Batman world continues on other screens while the sequel is paused. The Penguin, the spin-off series starring Farrell, has already aired. Clayface, a DC film about the shape-shifting villain that Reeves produced, opens in cinemas on 23 October, according to The Hollywood Reporter. How Clayface performs will be an early test for DC under its new owner. Our box office explainer shows how opening weekends are measured.

What happens next

• DC Studios has said it hopes to continue “soon”. Any news on a restart date or the release date will most likely come from the studio.
• Clayface opens on 23 October.
• We will update this story if the February 2028 date moves.

More film and TV coverage: Movies & TV.

Photo credits: Featured image: Robert Pattinson at the Berlin International Film Festival, February 2025. Photo: Harald Krichel, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Source. In-article image: Matt Reeves at WonderCon, 2014. Photo: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0). Source.

Sources

• Deadline: ‘The Batman Part II’ pauses production for Matt Reeves (5 Oct 2026)
• The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The Batman Part II’ paused as Matt Reeves steps away (5 Oct 2026)
• Variety: ‘The Batman 2’ pauses production as Matt Reeves steps away (5 Oct 2026)
• Polygon: The Batman Part 2 filming paused (5 Oct 2026)