Matt Reeves’ The Batman – Part II won’t just be a Matt Reeves film anymore. According to a report coming from Deadline, acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh is coming in to finish principal photography on the long-awaited sequel, after Reeves had to step away due to an ongoing family matter. Principal photography has already been going on since June. Although Reeves can’t actually be on set, the directors will work together and remain in communication until filming ends. Afterward, Reeves will take over post-production duties. It’s unclear if Soderbergh will get a co-directing credit.
Warner Bros. and DC Studios released the following statement:
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. Matt and Steven will work closely together with the actors and crew to fulfill Matt’s vision of the film.
Steven Soderbergh also released a statement about taking over behind-the-camera duties on the film:
I thought Matt Reeves’ work on The Batman was stunning; it was intentional, specific, and rigorously coherent. 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.
Nerdist’s Take: This Might Seem Like the Zack Snyder Justice League Situation, But We Think It’s Quite Different
This is already very different than what happened with Zack Snyder on Justice League, when Warner Bros. replaced him with Joss Whedon. Snyder had no say in what the final cut would be back then. And as Ben Affleck recently confirmed, the studio used the personal tragedy in Snyder’s life to fire the director. Something the actor categorized as “gross.” It seems what’s going on with The Batman – Part II is totally different. It remains to be seen if these delays cause the release date of February 18, 2028 to get pushed back yet again. The film stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth, Colin Farrell as The Penguin, and new cast members Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, and Brian Tyree Henry.
