James Gunn Responds To Rumors ‘The Batman 2’ Is Moving Forward Minus Matt Reeves Directing
As the saying goes, history doesn’t exactly repeat itself, but it often rhymes. That looks to be the case with The Batman sequel and the ever-revolving door of creatives continually reinterpreting The Dark Knight. In what has to be a bit of poetic irony for Snyderverse and Batfleck fans, Matt Reeves may be stepping away from directing duties on his follow-up.
A new listing from Production Weekly suggests production on The Batman 2 is ready to roll next March to meet the goal of an October 2027 release. However, no director is listed, and Reeves is given only screenwriter credit. It’s been pointed out that Production Weekly reuses the same listings over and over without naming directors, and that’s probably the case this time.
If not, this wouldn’t be the first time a Batman movie lost its director. The same thing happened when The Batman was still a DCEU project with Ben Affleck attached as director, writer, and star. Reeves stepped in to fill the seat and later recalibrated the film into what it became once Affleck stepped away completely.
He was plagued by personal problems, burnout, and disenchantment with the direction Warner Bros. was taking the DCEU – factors which ultimately drove Affleck away from superhero movies altogether. Reeves is facing similar struggles, according to reports. Although it’s unclear what they are, they’re allegedly bad enough to impact his work on the sequel.
Forbes writer Paul Tassi alluded to what Reeves may be dealing with in January, but is respecting the director’s privacy. “I have heard what Reeves is going through,” Tassi said at the time, “and no, I’m not going to say what it is. But I will say it’s serious, and people really need to back off.”
Tassi’s claims and a more elaborate scoop by Beyond the Trailer proprietor Grace Randolph are being met with criticism and written off as speculative, but that’s only the beginning. Every aspect of this story is being called into question by the minute, including Reeves’s disputed director status.
Another insider (or InSneider in this case), Jeff Sneider, doubts Production Weekly’s reliability as a source. “I feel like Production Weekly just pieces this together and makes you think it’s official so you’ll subscribe to them. So, I don’t think it’s real – I think that the trades would have said something if he was off the movie,” he said via ComicBookMovie.
However, Sneider added his suspicions don’t portend smooth sailing for The Batman 2 as he thinks another Bat-related project on the DC slate will take priority, and not the one we all assume. “The signs that I’m getting is that the next Batman movie won’t be The Batman 2,” Sneider said.
“Like, the next time you see Batman – it’ll be in like a ‘World’s Finest’ movie or something […] That is probably what [Gunn] is working on right now,” he continued. “If he is not writing a direct sequel to Superman, then it’s got to be something that incorporates Superman and Batman.”
That could mean a redo of Batman v Superman or something more akin to the DC Animated Universe, which pulled off the “World’s Finest” scenario in the late 90s. The three-part story in Superman: The Animated Series remains one of the best crossovers ever. Beyond standing the test of time by itself, it laid the seeds for future Justice League cartoons.
Whatever the case, James Gunn quickly addressed the rumors that Reeves is departing The Batman 2. On Threads, he responded to an account that raised the question with, “Yes. Huh?” – indicating Gunn is confused by what amounts to a rumor that spread out of control.
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