DC‘s movie future is not in a good place after The Batman Part II was delayed again.
On Wednesday, Warner Bros. reshuffled its release date calendar for 2027 and 2028. The biggest move involved The Batman Part II, which was pushed from October 1, 2027, to February 18, 2028. Replacing the The Batman sequel on October 1 will be The Great Beyond, J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi fantasy movie starring Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega.
The Batman Part II is no stranger to delays. The film originally had a release date of October 3, 2025. It then moved to October 2, 2026, and later October 1, 2027, before settling on its February 2028 date.
On X, director Matt Reeves posted a brief teaser trailer that featured Robert Pattinson turning toward the camera as Batman. The footage ended with the new February release date. The Batman Part II is currently being filmed.
The Batman Part II is by far the most anticipated movie on DC’s upcoming slate. Reeves’ Batman movies might not be part of the DCEU, but they still belong to DC, making them one of the most important properties at the company. Moving The Batman Part II to 2028 puts even more pressure on James Gunn and DC.
The Batman Part II’s delay adds even more pressure to James Gunn & DC
The Batman Part II is easily DC’s most anticipated project on its calendar, even more than Man of Tomorrow. DC had two tentpole projects on the calendar in 2027: Man of Tomorrow, the Superman follow-up, and The Batman Part II, the sequel to The Batman. Superman and Batman are the backbone of DC, so the company has much to look forward to next year.
Things are starting to get testy for Gunn and DC. The delay comes during a tumultuous time for DC, which is still reeling after the Supergirl debacle. Supergirl, the second movie in the DCEU, is bombing at the box office. It currently stands at $116 million, meaning it probably won’t make back its $175 million budget.
The next DC movie hitting theaters is Clayface in September. The body horror movie is a cheaper, more genre-focused approach to a comic book character. That in itself is a risk, especially when DC needs a hit. If Clayface flops, the next DC movie is Man of Tomorrow in July 2027. That’s a long wait for Gunn, who desperately needs another successful movie to prove his cinematic universe is the right strategy for Warner Bros.
Man of Tomorrow and The Batman Part II will certainly be released in theaters. It’s not like WB will be canceling those movies. However, if I were Gunn, I would be worried about the future of DC, especially if Clayface fails. The clock is ticking.
Originally reported by Dan Girolamo for SuperHeroHype.
