Robert Pattinson in The Batman Part II
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The real reason The Batman Part 2 is delayed again has nothing to do with Matt Reeves

The backlash has been intense but there's more to the story

Daisy Phillipson
15th July 2026, 18:05
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A new teaser for the long-awaited The Batman Part II has arrived, and with it another delay. The film will now land in cinemas on February 18th, 2028, six years after the first entry. 

The teaser is a camera test showing Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight, which Reeves posted on Vimeo alongside the adjusted release date at the end. 

Originally, The Batman sequel was set to release this year, but this was pushed back to 2027, and now again to 2028. 

As expected, there’s plenty of backlash online, with many comparing the DC film’s release to GTA 6. However, there are many reasons for the original delays (more on this shortly), but this latest appears to be due to scheduling. 

Why The Batman Part II is delayed to 2028

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. has shuffled its upcoming movie slate due to the arrival of J.J. Abrams’ upcoming sci-fi The Great Beyond starring Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega.

Although it was originally due to be released on November 13th, 2026, it’s since been pushed back to October 1st, 2027. If you remember, that’s the exact date The Batman 2 was supposed to land in cinemas. 

Given it’s the Star Wars director’s first original film in more than 10 years, it makes sense not to drop two major titles on the same date. 

As such, this has set off a “chain reaction” for the studio, which has also switched up the release dates for Sam Esmail’s Panic Carefully and horror sequel Revenge of La Llorona. 

Plus, this is all happening as the pending Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. remains up in the air. In short, Reeves isn’t to blame for this latest delay. 

Abrams isn’t either. In fact, Deadline heard that Warner Bros. wanted 70MM IMAX prints of The Great Beyond after a test screening. 

Even so, both Reeves and Abrams are receiving plenty of backlash online as fans air their frustrations. 

One rather bluntly wrote on X, “ABRAMS YOU F**K,” while another said, “How tf is his film given priority? This can’t be right, MOVE YOUR SH*TTY SCI-FI MOVIE.” 

A third added, “No lie, everyone might have to boycott that Abrams movie in protest for Batman. 6 Bomboclaaaaaat years?!”

But others have pointed out that Abrams isn’t to blame here. “Did you read the full article? WB delayed The Great Beyond because they wanted to make a 70mm IMAX print for it after seeing a test screening,” wrote one.  

“I don’t know if we should be hating Abrams on just making something that people apparently like.”

Why The Batman Part II was delayed before its latest update

Robert Pattinson in The Batman
Credit: Warner Bros.

Despite the fresh backlash, this isn’t the first time The Batman Part II has been pushed back – and the reasons behind its previous delays are very different.

The first major setback came in 2023 when the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes brought much of the industry to a standstill, delaying development across countless major productions. 

Reeves later acknowledged that the strikes had affected the sequel’s timeline, but they were only one part of the story.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter last September, the director admitted the process had taken “longer than I would’ve wanted for a lot of reasons, a lot of personal reasons.” 

But, he said, the “most important reason is getting it to a place where I just felt like it was the best script we could possibly write.”

This careful approach isn’t new for Reeves. Ever since The Batman became a hit in 2022, he’s repeatedly said he wouldn’t make a sequel unless he believed there was a story worthy of continuing Bruce Wayne’s journey. 

Industry insider Matthew Belloni also reported last year that Warner Bros. executives had grown frustrated by the lengthy process, with the studio eager to get the sequel moving. However, he said Reeves was dealing with personal issues behind the scenes. 

And despite the delays, Warner Bros. remained committed to giving him the time he needed rather than handing the project to another filmmaker.

Last year, DCU head James Gunn spoke in defence of Reeves, telling Variety, “Listen, we’re supposed to get a script in June. I hope that happens. We feel really good about it. 

“People should get off Matt’s nuts because it’s like, let the guy write the screenplay in the amount of time he needs to write it. 

“That’s just the way it is. He doesn’t owe you something because you like his movie. I mean, you like his movie because of Matt. So let Matt do things the way he does.”

So yes, it’s taking a long time – but from everything we know so far, The Batman Part II will be well worth the wait. 

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Featured image credit: Warner Bros.