Robert Pattinson might be out of the cowl—and somehow, that's good news.
Rumors are swirling that The Batman Part 2, Matt Reeves' brooding Gotham follow-up, is quietly slipping into oblivion. No production start. No updated release date. And now, no guarantee that Robert Pattinson's version of the Dark Knight will ever return. The kicker? This Hollywood ghosting might actually help James Gunn's new DC Universe.
Welcome to the Bat-chaos. Population: us.
What If Killing The Batman 2 Is Actually a Power Move?
Let's be real: the sequel's been stuck in Bat-limbo for a while. It's been over three years since The Batman hit theaters like a brick of noir-fueled angst, and we still don't know when the follow-up is coming. Rumors of cancellation aren't pulled from Reddit fever dreams—they're backed by a perfect storm of real-world red flags:
- Colin Farrell, Penguin extraordinaire, is sniffing around another DC role—Sgt. Rock, in Luca Guadagnino's upcoming war flick. (Yes, that's real. And yes, Daniel Craig was originally attached before bailing.)
- Robert Pattinson? Busy. Too busy. He's filming Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, eyeing a villain gig in Dune 3, and hasn't even seen a full script for The Batman Part 2. As of March, he claimed the plan was to start filming after The Odyssey—but with Dune now circling him like a spice-scented vulture, that window is closing fast.
That's not just scheduling chaos—it's a warning shot. And for DC Studios? Maybe a lifeline.
Why James Gunn Might Secretly Be Thrilled
Here's the dirty little secret: Gunn's DCU never had a clean spot for Pattinson's broody Bat. When James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios in late 2022, they declared The Batman part of “Elseworlds”—basically the cinematic equivalent of “not my problem.”
It made sense then. But the longer The Batman 2 stalls, the more awkward that split becomes. You've got a fan-favorite Batman sitting outside your shared universe while you're trying to introduce another Batman in The Brave and the Bold. It's brand schizophrenia. It's confusing. And it's killing hype before it even starts.
So what if Gunn flips the script?
If The Batman Part 2 dies quietly in development hell, Gunn could do the unthinkable: fold Pattinson into the DCU and scrap his separate Bat-plan entirely.
Would that mean losing Reeves' gritty crime saga? Probably.
Would it mean axing The Brave and the Bold as it's currently imagined? Maybe.
But would it solve the problem of two Batmen competing for the same cape? Instantly.
The Industry Has Done This Before—And It Worked (Sorta)
Hollywood's seen this identity shuffle before. Remember when Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man 3 quietly disappeared so Marvel and Sony could fast-track Tom Holland into the MCU? Garfield's films were critically mixed but loved by fans—sound familiar? The result: one Spider-Man, one shared universe, billions at the box office.
Or how about the chaotic pivot of Zack Snyder's Justice League vision giving way to Gunn's The Suicide Squad reboot? Messy, sure. But it showed that sometimes you have to burn the old playbook to get a fresh start.
Now, Gunn has that same chance with The Batman. Trade prestige isolation for full integration. Leverage Pattinson's moody magnetism, but in your sandbox.
This Isn't About Tone—It's About Turf
Fans worried that pulling Pattinson into the DCU would neuter the raw, noir-heavy edge of Reeves' Gotham need to relax. DC Comics has always embraced tonal schizophrenia. Superman shines bright. Batman broods. Swamp Thing eats people.
There's no reason Pattinson's gravel-voiced detective couldn't still lurk through a rain-slicked Gotham—and team up with Superman when hell breaks loose.
The comics have done it for decades. The films can too.
So, Now What?
If The Batman Part 2 is quietly being smothered under a pile of other priorities, it wouldn't be the first time Hollywood abandoned a prestige project for the bigger shared-universe payday. But this one might actually work.
One Bat. One DCU. One shot to fix a fractured franchise.
Would it be a shame to lose Reeves' Bat-vision? Definitely.
But would folding Pattinson into the DCU give Gunn the clarity (and Bat-clout) he needs?
Only one way to find out.
