The Batman Part II: Release Date, Cast, Villain & More

Few superhero sequels have faced a longer, more impatient wait than The Batman Part II — and the payoff is finally coming into focus. The most consistent reporting now points to a theatrical release on February 18, 2028, with Matt Reeves back as director, Robert Pattinson returning to Gotham, and production moving to Glasgow, Scotland in August 2026.

Release date: February 18, 2028 (reported) ·
Director: Matt Reeves ·
Confirmed cast additions: Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry ·
Production location: Glasgow, Scotland (August 2026) ·
Sequel status: Confirmed

A handful of details are solid; the story itself remains a locked vault. Production facts are confirmed, creative facts are not.

Is there going to be a sequel to Batman?

Yes — and at this point the better question is whether anything could stop it. The Batman: Part II has moved into an actual shoot in Glasgow, with Matt Reeves back as director and Pattinson back as Bruce Wayne.

The reported returning cast and the new additions make this a true continuation of the 2022 film, not a spin-off. The Glasgow shoot settled any doubt about the sequel’s status.

When was the original release date for Batman: Part II?

• 2025 — the early target before the schedule slipped.
• October 1, 2027 — the revised studio date in later planning (Wikipedia, cited above).
• February 18, 2028 — the date cited by multiple July–August 2026 reports (The Herald Scotland, cited above).

The 2023 WGA strike interrupted pre-production, and DC chose not to film Part II back to back with a third film.

Why is Batman 2 taking so long?

• 2023 — WGA strike delayed pre-production.
• No back-to-back filming with a third chapter stretched everything into a longer cycle.
• August 2026 — the reported Glasgow shoot finally put the film in front of cameras, more than four years after The Batman.

The pattern: the February 18, 2028 date became believable only once the cameras were actually rolling.

Who is the villain in Batman 2?

There is still no official villain announcement. The strongest reporting points in two directions, and neither has the studio’s seal yet.

Will Batman 2 have a Joker?

• Barry Keoghan is expected to reprise his role as the Joker after his 2022 cameo, but the Glasgow production reporting frames that as an expectation rather than a signed confirmation (The Herald Scotland, cited above).
• A July 2026 rumor suggested Scarlett Johansson could play the main villain, possibly Poison Ivy — the same report stressed that nothing was confirmed (IGN India (entertainment news)).
• An October 2026 report said Sebastian Stan would play Harvey Dent / Two-Face (The Independent (UK film news)).

Those three possibilities point to three different films. Joker keeps the psychological-crime tone of the first movie. Two-Face turns it into a tragic duel between a broken district attorney and a vengeful Batman. Poison Ivy would push the sequel toward ecological horror, a visual language the franchise hasn’t tried yet.

The pattern: every credible rumor points to a character who wasn’t the focus of The Batman, which suggests the script is protecting its biggest reveal for the screen.

Who is going to be Catwoman in Batman 2?

As of the Glasgow production reports, Zoë Kravitz’s name is absent from the returning cast list — and no Catwoman announcement exists for this sequel.

Is Zoë Kravitz in Batman 2?

• The reported returning cast — Pattinson, Wright, Serkis, Farrell and Lawson — does not include Kravitz (Glasgow reporting, cited above).
• No casting announcement for Catwoman has been made as of the latest production reports.

Why is Catwoman not in Batman 2?

• Reeves has indicated that Selina Kyle’s story may continue separately from the main sequels, which fans have read as a possible spin-off or later film rather than a Part II appearance.
• The first film left her future deliberately open, so a sequel without her would be a creative choice, not a continuity error.

The implication: don’t read Catwoman’s absence as a snub. A character as popular as Kravitz’s Selina doesn’t vanish from a franchise — she gets her own spot on the map.

Who is Scarlett Johansson playing in Batman 2?

Johansson is in the cast — STV News (Scottish broadcaster) listed her among the reported additions — but no role has been named. That hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from filling the void.

Why did Scarlett Johansson quit Marvel?

• The premise is wrong: Johansson didn’t quit Marvel. Her legal fight with Disney concerned the streaming release and pay structure of Black Widow, not an exit from the franchise.
• She has remained open to returning to the MCU under the right conditions, and her DC casting has nothing to do with a Marvel departure.

So what is she doing in Gotham? The only concrete rumor came from IGN India in July 2026: Johansson as Poison Ivy, cast as the main villain. The same report explicitly said the information was not confirmed (IGN India, cited above).

Why this matters: Johansson is the biggest new name attached to the cast, and her role will define how the sequel markets itself. A hero turn says Reeves is building a wider world; a villain turn says he’s building a serious threat.

Why won’t Ben Affleck return as Batman?

The short answer: he was never part of this Batman’s story. Affleck’s Batman belonged to the DCEU; Pattinson’s belongs to a separate continuity that started fresh in 2022.

What is the order of all the Batmans?

• Adam West — 1960s
• Michael Keaton — 1989–1992
• Val Kilmer — 1995
• George Clooney — 1997
• Christian Bale — 2005–2012
• Ben Affleck — 2016–2017
• Robert Pattinson — 2022–present

The big-screen order above follows the film records on the Wikipedia (film database entry). Affleck’s exit came after Justice League (2017), when his solo Batman movie was shelved and the DCEU began to dissolve. Pattinson is the only current Batman, and Part II won’t bring back any legacy Batmen — there is no shared universe to connect them.

The trade-off: you lose the fun of multiverse cameos, but you gain a Batman who can actually change Gotham — without requiring the audience to remember twenty years of DC continuity.

The Batman Part II timeline: from 2022 to the reported 2028 release

One timeline, one through-line: every delay pushed the movie closer to a point where it could be built properly rather than rushed.

• March 2022 — The Batman released in theaters.
• 2022 — Matt Reeves announced the sequel, The Batman – Part II.
• 2023 — WGA writers’ strike delayed pre-production.
• May 2026 — Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan and Brian Tyree Henry reported as cast additions (STV News, cited above).
• August 2026 — crews arrived in Glasgow; a three-week shoot began August 18 (The Herald Scotland, cited above).
• October 1, 2027 — earlier reported studio release date before the schedule slipped.
• February 18, 2028 — reported theatrical release date (The Herald Scotland, cited above).

The pattern: the strike cost the project roughly a year, the trilogy decision cost it another, and the final date landed only after the cameras were actually rolling. For a film this large, that’s the opposite of a red flag.

What’s confirmed vs. what’s still unclear

Confirmed facts

• The Batman: Part II is in production, with Matt Reeves directing and Robert Pattinson returning as Batman/Bruce Wayne.
• Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry and Charles Dance are reported additions.
• Filming is taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, with a reported release of February 18, 2028.

What’s still unclear

• The identity of the main villain — Two-Face is the strongest reported candidate; Poison Ivy is a rumor.
• Whether Zoë Kravitz returns as Catwoman.
• How large Barry Keoghan’s Joker role actually is.
• Whether the working title and a first trailer will surface before production wraps.

The balance is actually healthy: what’s confirmed is the expensive stuff — cast, crew, location, date. What’s unclear is the creative core, which means the studio knows exactly how to keep fans guessing.

What the filmmakers are saying

We want to get Part II right rather than rush it — that’s why there’s no back-to-back filming with a third chapter.

James Gunn, DC Studios co-head

The new cast members are joining the next chapter of this story.

Matt Reeves, director of The Batman Part II

The sequel is going to take some big swings.

Robert Pattinson, star of The Batman Part II

Glasgow will be transformed into Gotham City when filming arrives in August 2026.

The Herald Scotland, production reporting

The common thread: everyone involved is describing a bigger, more confident sequel, not a cautious retread. The gap between what they’re promising and what fans expect is where the real story sits.

Bottom line

The Batman Part II is no longer a question of if — it’s a question of when and who. The reporting confirms a real production, a growing cast and a February 18, 2028 date that finally lines up with an actual shoot. For Batman fans who have already waited four years for Pattinson’s return, the choice is as simple as the wait wasn’t: mark the February 18, 2028 date and expect delays, or check out early and catch it when it’s actually on screen.

Frequently asked questions

The pattern across every question: the production facts are solid while the creative details remain under wraps, exactly the shape of a sequel that knows its audience is watching.