Matt Reeves’ “The Batman Part II” is being delayed once again and will now open in theaters on Feb. 18, 2028. That release date is nearly six years after the March 2022 opening of “The Batman.” Reeves announced the new opening date on Vimeo accompanied by the first camera test footage of Robert Pattinson’s return as the Dark Knight.
Joining Pattinson in the long-delayed sequel are Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan, plus “Game of Thrones” actor Charles Dance, Brian Tyree Henry and Sebastian Koch. Reeves co-wrote the sequel’s screenplay with Mattson Tomlin. Plot details remain under wraps, as do the roles being played by the film’s supporting cast.
“The Batman Part II” was originally supposed to open Oct. 2, 2026, before Warner Bros. delayed it to Oct. 1, 2027. Moving the film to 2028 will give Reeves additional time in post-production. DC Studios co-chief James Gunn defended the first release delay by explaining how it’s “fairly common” for big-budget titles to have lengthy gaps before a sequel is released.
“To be fair, a 5-year gap or more is fairly common in sequels,” Gunn wrote on Threads at the time. “7 years between ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’ 14 years between ‘Incredibles.’ 7 years between the first two ‘Terminators.’ 13 years between ‘Avatars.’ 36 years between ‘Top Guns.’ And, of course, six years between ‘Guardians Vol 2’ and ‘Vol 3.’”
Warner Bros. has shifted other release dates as well. J.J. Abrams’ mysterious new movie “The Great Beyond,” starring Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega, is being delayed from Nov. 13, 2026 to Oct. 1, 2027, the release date previously held by “The Batman Part II.” Sam Esmail’s new movie “Panic Carefully,” starring Julia Roberts, is opening April 9, 2027 (delayed slightly from Feb. 26, 2027). “Revenge of La Llorona” will fill in for the Feb. 26 date.
Not much is known about Abrams’ new film, although Warner Bros. describes it as “a four-quadrant, all-audience spectacle.” Abrams will be composing the movie’s original score. The movie will be getting an Imax 70 mm rollout, which is made possible by the release delay, as now there’s more time to generate prints.
