MOVIE NEWS – Batman was a huge success at the start of the year, but it seems that although a sequel is still in development, it won’t be for some time.

Although Batman 2 seemed the most certain sequel to hit theaters in the near future, Warner Bros. Discovery is currently in limbo, leaving fans questioning everything that may or may not happen around their DC production in the coming years. According to a new report from Variety, the success of The Batman means that they are actively developing a sequel, but with the turbulence currently at the studio, fans will have to wait a while longer to see Robert Pattinson’s Batman back on screen.

The latest news on Batman 2 is that the film has not yet received the official green light from Warner Bros. Discovery, although writer/director Matt Reeves is currently working on the storyline for the return of the Dark Knight in a new, grimmer version. The film was originally set to be confirmed in April, but since Warner Bros. Discovery’s strategy has recently changed, and there is now reportedly a 10-year plan for the future of the DC franchise, it appears the film is still awaiting a final greenlight.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s latest earnings call, new CEO David Zaslav spoke about how the company’s strategy for the DCEU and beyond is very much about protecting the franchise and laying the groundwork for a long-term future. He explained:

“This is a reboot. We’ve structured the business. There will be a team with a 10-year plan focused solely on DC. It’s very similar to the structure that Alan Horne and Bob Iger very effectively put in place with Kevin Feige at Disney. We think we can build a business out of DC that will have a much more sustainable long-term growth, and part of that will be a focus on quality. We’re not releasing any films before they’re ready… The focus will be on how we can make these films as well as possible in general. We can make DC even better, and that’s our focus right now.”

Batman was not your average superhero movie

While previous Batman films have portrayed the character as a fantastical crime-fighter on screen, racing around Gotham with an endless array of technologically advanced weapons and a colourful and often over-the-top rogues gallery of villains to contend with. Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson have defied the usual Batman clichés and instead delivered a very dark and thought-provoking story that takes Gotham’s protector back to his roots as a masked detective trying to piece together clues to stop the Riddler’s deadly plot.

The film grossed more than $750 million before streaming on HBO Max, proving that while many didn’t expect a dark noir film like The Batman delivered, plenty of Batman fans turned out in theaters, and interest in the new world created by the film launched two HBO Max spin-offs, one canonicalized on Colin Farrell’s Penguin and the other on Arkham Asylum. However, as with the sequel, there is limited information about their future from Warner Bros. Discovery’s big shake-up, so it really remains to be seen when and whether or not the next chapter of Batman will be made.

Source : Movieweb