Highlights

• The Batman Part 2 is set for theaters on October 2, 2026, and it is essential it serves as a fitting conclusion to the story.
• Robert Pattinson is confirmed to return; likely actors also to return include Zoe Kravitz and Barry Keoghan.
• The sequel needs a top-tier villain, a shorter run time, and Batman to be a better detective.

Matt Reeves' The Batman Part 2 is set for release in theaters on October 2, 2026, with fans eagerly anticipating the follow up to 2022's The Batman, which grossed $771 million worldwide. The Batman was positively received by fans and critics alike, but it's unclear if there will be any further entries in this iteration of The Dark Knight, after Part 2 comes out, meaning this upcoming sequel really needs to stick the landing and act as a fitting conclusion to the story.

Robert Pattinson will reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and is the only actor officially confirmed to return for The Batman Part 2. Zoe Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, Barry Keoghan and Colin Farrell are also very likely to return for the sequel. Filming is finally set to begin in April 2025, after many delays. Fans will have the upcoming release of the HBO Max spin-off series, The Penguin, to keep them busy until The Batman Part 2's release. The 8 episode Colin Farrell led series is set for release in Fall 2024

How can The Batman Part 2 act as a fitting conclusion?

The Batman Part 2 has faced a number of issues since it was announced after the massive success of The Batman in 2022. Filming was initially planned to get underway in November 2023, but due to Hollywood's Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, The Batman Part 2 was delayed, and these plans were put on hold.

While the WGA strike came to an end in September 2023, the SAG-AFTRA strike didn't conclude until November 2023. Filming will eventually get going in April 2025 for a release in theaters on October 2, 2026, more than four years after the previous entry. This has led to speculation that The Batman Part 2 could be the last movie in Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson's version, meaning the upcoming sequel must serve as a fitting conclusion to the story. Here's what The Batman Part 2 needs to do to stick the landing and end on a high:

A Top Notch Villain

Paul Dano's Riddler's best riddles helped him become a formidable villain in The Batman, and he proved to be a major threat to Batman and Jim Gordon during their quest to bring him to justice. Riddler will be a really tough act to follow in The Batman Part 2, but the upcoming sequel really needs to pick a villain who can live up to expectations.

Barry Keoghan's version of the Joker was teased at the end of The Batman, and he is a possible villain for the sequel. Keoghan's star has risen significantly in Hollywood since the release of The Batman in 2022, making him even likelier to be the focus of The Batman Part 2.

Keoghan is one of the best actors around at the moment, and a fully-fledged Joker-centric storyline in The Batman Part 2 would be a good way to go. In Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow was a fantastic villain in Batman Begins, but the second movie in the trilogy really hit the mark when Heath Ledger's Joker turned up to wreak havoc in Gotham. It would be a good idea if Matt Reeves followed this route for his second, and possibly last, Batman movie.

A Shorter Run Time

2022's The Batman was a staggering near three hours long, and many fans weren't happy about the movie being so long. However, this run time was ample time to set up the characters and the mystery at the center of the narrative. One difference would help The Batman sequel to succeed, and that is to tighten the story for Robert Pattinson's potential last appearance as Batman.

It would be fine for The Batman Part 2 to be over two hours long, but anywhere near three hours, and fans will be waving goodbye to Pattinson's version of Batman with no sentiment attached if the sequel drags on and on.

Batman Actually Solving The Case

Pattinson's Batman isn't actually a great detective in The Batman, as he often stumbles upon the answers to the clues and leaves the legwork to other characters while taking the majority of the credit. The Batman Part 2 needs to give Batman better detective skills, especially if he is to come up against The Joker, who will run rings around him if he's not at his best.

What did a recent poll say about Robert Pattinson's Batman?

As of 2024, ten different actors have portrayed Batman in both live-action films and on television, with many more voicing Batman in animated and video games. The entertainment website CoveredGeekly decided to rank the six best 'versions of the Caped Crusader to find out once and for all which actor did the best job of playing the iconic superhero.

Each Batman Voted From Best To Worst

1. Michael Keaton
2. Christian Bale
3. Kevin Conroy
4. Adam West
5. Robert Pattinson
6. Ben Affleck