Warner Bros. Discovery announced the sequel to the 2022 hit that has earned the company $760 millon globally. Also announced is Matt Reeves’ return to direct the follow-up film, which will expand upon Warner Bros.’ sprawling Gotham universe. Plot details remain under wraps. Sequel plans were inevitable following the film’s massive box office success since its March 4 release date, and the 45-day theatrical window before premiering on Warner Bros. Discovery-owned streamer HBO Max paid off: The film, since dropping on the platform April 18 and despite parallel availability on premium VOD, reached over 4 million households. Right now, “The Batman” is number 2 on the VOD charts at iTunes and Google.
Warner Bros. Pictures chairman Toby Emmerich, domestic distribution president Jeff Goldstein, and international distribution president Andrew Cripps were on hand to make the announcement. There is already a handful of television series in the works at HBO Max, including a series centered on Arkham Asylum that was formerly meant to be about the Gotham police department. That project is in the early stages of development. Then there’s the spinoff limited series about The Penguin, with Colin Farrell returning to play the famous Batman villain. The show will take a “Scarface”-like approach to The Penguin, whose real name is Oswald Cobblepot, charting his origins in Gotham and rise to the ranks of the top of the crime syndicate ruling the city. Lauren LeFranc will serve as writer and showrunner on the series. Reeves, who directed “The Batman,” will also executive produce alongside Dylan Clark, who produced “The Batman.” Reeves previously described “The Batman” as only the beginning to a multi-layered franchise, telling Entertainment Weekly that he wants to “create a Batverse” surrounding Pattinson’s Dark Knight. “You don’t do a story and go, ‘This is Chapter 1’ because you might not get to do Chapter 2. So, the story had to stand on its own,” Reeves said of the film. “But the thing about it is that the Bat world is so rich with character that as you’re starting to come to an end, you can already start thinking about the next thing. Because the idea, of course, is that Gotham’s story never ends.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
