The Batman Part II just got a major update from director Matt Reeves, who says that DC are “super excited” about the sequel’s script. Starring Robert Pattinson as a younger Bruce Wayne, Reeves’ The Batman followed the titular vigilante’s second year of crime fighting in Gotham City. As he races to unmask the Riddler (Paul Dano), who has been targeting the corrupted Gotham elite, Batman is forced to face his own family’s struggles, including his father enlisting mob boss, Carmine Falcone, to “deal” with a journalist threatening to destroy his family’s reputation. Corruption was a central theme in The Batman and, according to Reeves, The Batman 2 will dig far deeper into Gotham City’s darkest corners.
Appearing in the latest issue of SFX magazine (via ComicBookMovie.com), Matt Reeves gave a promising update on The Batman Part II‘s script, and teased what audiences can expect from the eagerly anticipated sequel. The co-writer and director said that Part 2 will “dig into the epic story about deeper corruption, and it goes into places [Bruce Wayne] couldn’t even anticipate in the first one.” Reeves also said that audiences can expect to see a new side of Batman in the sequel. He explained:
“We’ve shared [the script] as we’ve been going along with DC, and they’re super excited… The seeds of where this goes are all in the first movie & it expands in a way that will show you aspects of the character you never got to see. Batman is constantly battling these forces. But those forces can’t be entirely exorcised. So the next movie delves deeper into that.”
The Court of Owls Could Be the Villains in The Batman Part II
During the interview, Reeves shut down the idea of seeing Batman’s more fantastical villains in any upcoming movies or shows. The Batman took a grounded approach to its adaptation of the DC Comics characters. The Riddler’s question mark-covered suit was swapped out for thrifted military gear, and Colin Farrel’s The Penguin (who has been confirmed to appear in Part II) didn’t wear the character’s over-the-top, black and white suit, instead dressing like a middle management mobster. But there’s one group that fans have been desperate to see on-screen for over a decade…
Reeves hasn’t announced who The Batman 2‘s main villain will be. However, when fans hear the words “corruption” and “Batman” in the same sentence, there’s only one villainous organization that comes to mind: The Court of Owls. Made up of Gotham’s wealthiest citizens (even Bruce Wayne couldn’t afford the membership), The Court of Owls is an Illuminati-type organization that secretly controls Gotham City. As well as having a near-infinite amount of wealth, and an Area 51-level of secrecy, the Court also has highly-trained assassins, known as Talons, whom they send to assassinate key targets. In the comics, Bruce Wayne assumed the Court of Owls was a myth, before they sent a Talon after him, which lines up with Reeves’ statement about how Part II “goes into places [Bruce Wayne] couldn’t even anticipate in the first one.”
Fans (and The Batman himself, Robert Pattinson) have been desperate to see The Court of Owls appear in a live-action DC movie since their comics debut in 2012. And Matt Reeves may be about it make it happen when The Batman Part II lands in theaters in 2026.
The Batman Part II
is currently scheduled to be released on October 2, 2026.