Even the Caped Crusader needs the help of his team, and that’s why director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven) is stepping in to help complete The Batman Part II while Matt Reeves is on hiatus.
As reported by Variety, Soderbergh has come to the aid of the project after production was previously put on hold while Reeves stepped away to deal with a personal matter. “As Matt Reeves continues to attend to an ongoing family matter, Steven Soderbergh, as an admirer of Matt’s work, approached Matt and will step in, with the full support of DC Studios, to help the writer-director complete the final weeks of principal photography on The Batman Part II‘,” said a representative for Warner Bros. in a statement. “Matt and Steven will work closely together with the actors and crew to fulfil Matt’s vision of the film.”
“I thought Matt Reeves’ work on The Batman was stunning; it was intentional, specific and rigorously coherent,” added Soderbergh in his own statement. “The goal here is to work with Matt and his team to generate footage that will integrate seamlessly with what’s already been shot so Matt can properly finish his film.”
With this in mind, it seems that Soderbergh’s role isn’t to completely take over production of the film, but instead to lend support and be an extension of Reeves while he is away. Reeves also took to social media to clarify that he was not leaving the project and would still work on production, except that he won’t be physically on set.
It remains to be seen if this switch-up will affect The Batman Part II’s release date, with the film already hit with multiple delays since it was announced at CinemaCon 2022. Initially set for release on 2 October 2026, the studio should subsequently push it back twice: first to 1 October 2027, then to 18 February 2028.
Reeves co-wrote and directed the first film, which was released in March 2022 and grossed US$772.8 million at the global box office. Its sequel will see the return of familiar faces like Robert Pattinson as the titular hero, Jeffrey Wright as Jim Gordon, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, and Colin Farrell as The Penguin, with newcomers comprising Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Charles Dance, Sebastian Koch, and Brian Tyree Henry.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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