James Gunn's Superman may be keeping its 2025 release date, but there's a delay elsewhere in the DC slate. The Batman - Part II has been delayed a full year to October 2, 2026, Warner Bros. announced today.
Originally set to release in October 2025, The Batman - Part II's release date shift was revealed in conjunction with several other dates, including Paul Thomas Anderson's next film, which is set for August 08, 2025, and The Bride. Its big delay means it will release close to five years after the original movie, which starred Robert Pattinson in the title role.
Not much is known about the sequel, which was first announced alongside James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU back in early 2023. Gunn confirmed that The Batman - Part II will be part of a trilogy and that it will be part of Matt Reeve's "crime saga" that includes the Penguin TV series set for sometime in fall 2024. Gunn said that The Batman being separate from the DCU was Reeves' choice.
While The Batman - Part II won't be part of the overall DCU, Gunn said it won't be a "stepchild" and that Warner Bros. "is fully invested in the success of The Batman, just like we are everything else." Gunn and Safran are planning their own Batman film for the DCU, titled The Brave and the Bold, which is expected to release in either 2026 or 2027.
In the meantime, work continues apace on the new DCU. James Gunn's Superman, previously-known as Superman: Legacy, recently entered production and is expected to release in July 2025. It has managed to keep its release date despite delays elsewhere, with Gunn sharing regular updates on social media.
When The Batman - Part II is finally released, its gritty atmosphere should provide an interesting contrast to James Gunn's DCU. In our review of the first movie, which we awarded a perfect 10, we wrote, "The Batman is a gripping, gorgeous, and, at times, genuinely scary psychological crime thriller that gives Bruce Wayne the grounded detective story he deserves."
For more, check out the 10 Robert Pattinson films that define his career, as well as all the rest of the upcoming movies for 2024.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
