Like its sequel, The Batman had a long period in development, with Ben Affleck initially set to write, direct and star in the film before Matt Reeves came in and rebooted the franchise. Reeves’ version of The Batman ended up being one of the strongest adaptations of the Dark Knight to date, and fans have been anxiously awaiting the follow-up since 2022. After several delays, The Batman — Part II finally has a finished script and is now moving closer to production with a 2027 release date.
Details surrounding the highly anticipated sequel are scarce, but more continue to come out now that it is set to begin filming in the spring. The Batman left Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader embracing a heroic image after letting vengeance drive him earlier in the film. There are so many different directions Reeves can take the crime saga next, and, like the first film, he will likely draw inspiration from past Batman stories to bring his vision to life. The Batman borrowed elements from stories like The Long Halloween, Year One, Ego, and many others to deliver one of the most definitive takes of the character on the screen. There are many other Batman stories Reeves could pull from for the sequel, and there’s one in particular that could make it surprising, like the filmmaker has teased, and also lead to an epic event.
Bruce Wayne Will Need a New Love Interest in The Batman – Part II
The Batman was the first film in the franchise to include one of the characters’ biggest love interests since the 1966 film starring Adam West. While many heroes have clear love interests, Batman has had many, and for a long time, there wasn’t one fans could pinpoint as his Lois Lane or Mary Jane Watson.
However, in recent years, there’s been a push for the romance between Batman and Catwoman, in large part because of the Tom King comic book run. Therefore, The Batman explored the relationship with Catwoman right from the start, where other films have waited to introduce the love interest. At the end of The Batman, Selina Kyle left Gotham City and the two parted ways. Now, rumors indicate The Batman — Part II may not feature Catwoman, and if that’s the case, then there will be a key role to fill.
Every Batman film has featured a love interest in some capacity, and it would be a shocking change if Reeves didn’t continue the trend. The Dark Knight Trilogy used the original character, Rachel Dawes, as the primary love interest before introducing Catwoman and Talia al Ghul. The Tim Burton Batman films used Vicki Vale and Catwoman, while the Joel Schumaker installments featured Chase Meridian and Poison Ivy. If Catwoman doesn’t appear in The Batman sequel, it could pave the way for another love interest that Reeves could use, one who has yet to appear in live-action.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Introduced Andrea Beaumont
Credit:Â Photo via DC Entertainment.
If The Batman — Part II features a new love interest for Bruce Wayne, there are countless options from the source material he could use. Outside of Selina, the next prominent love interest for Batman is Talia. However, the DCU plans to introduce Damian Wayne, the child of Bruce and Talia, in The Brave and the Bold, so Reeves may stay away from that particular love interest.
There are also characters like Silver St. Cloud and Zatanna, but Reeves could also pull from the most underrated Batman film ever released to find his new love interest in the sequel. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was released in 1993 as a spin-off from the groundbreaking animated series. The film included Batman’s arch nemesis, The Joker, but the primary focus of the film revolved around the original villain known as the Phantasm.
The animated film drew inspiration from Batman: Year Two, particularly the Reaper character, to create Phantasm, who turned out to be a former lover of Bruce. The Phantasm, later revealed as Andrea Beaumont, returned to Gotham City in the film, looking to avenge the death of her father by taking out various crime bosses. A direct adaptation of the Mask of the Phantasm story may be too reminiscent of the first Reeves film, but there’s another aspect that would fit nicely with Bruce’s character arc so far.
Like Bruce in the first film, Andrea uses vengeance as her primary motive for taking out criminals. It’s also similar to Catwoman trying to kill Carmine Falcone in The Batman. Pattinson’s Batman is someone who has overcome vengeance and is now bound to help other people see the way in future installments, and Andrea is another candidate for that. Furthermore, the Phantasm features a design that would translate incredibly well into live-action and could operate in Reeves’s realistic Gotham City.
Phantasm Recently Appeared in Tom King’s Batman Run
Batman: The Animated Series has made a significant impact on the Dark Knight’s mythology, so much so that characters created for the series ended up in comic books and eventually live-action. Harley Quinn is the biggest character to spin out of the animated series, with Margot Robbie and Lady Gaga bringing her to life on the big screen in recent years. Reeves could repeat this trend with Phantasm, who recently made her comic book debut in 2020.
In the Batman/Catwoman limited series from King, the writer made Andrea an official part of DC Comics canon. In the series, Andrea remained a past lover of Bruce, as she was in the Mask of the Phantasm film. In the comic, Andrea’s return forced Bruce and Selina to address their varying views of justice. With Batman/Catwoman, King demonstrated how other creators can utilize the Phantasm character, and Reeves could easily replicate this with Andrea as Bruce’s former fiancée, who nearly led him away from his crusade in Gotham City.
Phantasm’s Involvement Could Lead to a Bigger Role for Barry Keoghan’s Joker
Barry Keoghan Joker Deleted Scene
The Batman was primarily a standalone detective story with many characters who fed into the main narrative. However, the film also did a ton of world-building with the inclusion of Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb, who would later receive an HBO spin-off series, and Barry Keoghan’s Joker. Of course, The Joker was a massive cameo in the film, who also had a bigger role in a deleted scene where he spoke with Batman in Arkham. While The Joker may not be the main villain of The Batman — Part II, it’s hard to imagine Reeves not using him at all within his Epic Crime Saga. Batman films have also extensively explored The Joker, a villain who has also received solo films. If Reeves took inspiration from Mask of the Phantasm for the sequel, it could lead to a refreshing portrayal of The Joker.
In Mask of the Phantasm, The Joker is one of the last gangsters Andrea is after, and it leads to a conflict of morality between her and Batman. Of course, Batman has no desire to kill The Joker, while Andrea does. It leads to one of the most epic and heartbreaking moments of the entire film, and seeing that translated on the big screen in live-action could be special. Batman already has a history with The Joker in the Reeves universe, and the sequel could explore that further, with the Phantasm playing a role in the present day.
The Batman — Part II is one of the most anticipated comic book films coming out in the coming years, and it’s a testament to how strong Reeves’ vision for the first film was. There’s currently a lot of mystery about where Reeves will take the saga next, but there have been a few rumors and comments that have started to form an idea. Reeves has mentioned that it will be hard for Bruce to be Batman in the sequel, and also revealed that development took so long in an effort to top the first film. Reeves also recently shared that Sofia Falcone will not appear after her memorable appearance in The Penguin, and rumors also suggest that Catwoman won’t be present either.
Catwoman’s next story may occur elsewhere, and if that’s the case, then The Batman — Part II may introduce a new love interest for Bruce. There are many characters Reeves could choose from, but Andrea from Batman: Mark of the Phantasm has more potential than others. Incorporating the Phantasm into The Batman — Part II would be a surprise, but one many longtime fans would quickly get behind. Andrea, as Bruce’s next love interest, would add more layers to Pattinson’s version and potentially lead to a natural inclusion of Keoghan’s Joker.
Release Date
October 1, 2027
Director
Matt Reeves
Writers
Matt Reeves, Mattson Tomlin, Bill Finger, Bob Kane
Robert Pattinson
Bruce Wayne / The Batman
Andy Serkis
Alfred Pennyworth
Jeffrey Wright
James Gordon