Steven Soderbergh is stepping in to help finish filming The Batman Part II while director Matt Reeves attends to a family matter, DC Studios said on Thursday. Reeves remains the film's writer-director, and the sequel is still dated for February 18, 2028.
"Just to be clear, I am not leaving The Batman Part II," Reeves wrote after the news broke.
Quick facts
- Who: Steven Soderbergh, helping writer-director Matt Reeves
- What: completing the final weeks of principal photography
- Why: Reeves is attending to an "ongoing family matter," the studio says
- After filming: Reeves is expected to take over post-production when he is ready to return, Deadline reports
- Release date: February 18, 2028, unchanged
- Studio: Warner Bros. and DC Studios, now part of Skydance
Is Steven Soderbergh directing The Batman Part II?
Only to get the shoot finished. In a statement first shared with Variety, DC Studios said:
"As Matt Reeves continues to attend to an ongoing family matter, Steven Soderbergh, as an admirer of Matt's work, approached Matt and will step in, with the full support of DC Studios, to help the writer-director complete the final weeks of principal photography on The Batman Part 2. Matt and Steven will work closely together with the actors and crew to fulfill Matt's vision of the film."
The offer came from Soderbergh. "I thought Matt Reeves' work on The Batman was stunning; it was intentional, specific and rigorously coherent," he said. "The goal here is to work with Matt and his team to generate footage that will integrate seamlessly with what's already been shot so Matt can properly finish his film."
According to Deadline, the two will stay in communication until filming ends.
Is Matt Reeves leaving?
No, and he went out of his way to say so. "I am profoundly grateful to Steven for coming to my aid during this challenging time to help me finish principal photography," Reeves wrote. "Thank you to all for your concern and well wishes."
Everyone involved is being careful to frame Soderbergh as help, not a replacement. The A.V. Club pointed to the obvious reason: in 2017, Zack Snyder stepped away from Justice League after a family tragedy, and the version finished without him led to years of controversy.
Why did production stop?
On Monday, October 5, the studio said: "Production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily paused while Matt Reeves focuses on a family matter. Matt has the full support of DC Studios and we look forward to continuing the journey soon."
That is all that has been said, and we are not going to speculate beyond it.
Filming began in London in June. It is not clear exactly how much of the shoot is left; the studio describes it only as the "final weeks."
When does The Batman Part II come out?
February 18, 2028. The sequel has moved before: it was originally slated for this October, then pushed to October 2027, then to its current date. The studio has not announced any change since the pause.
| Release plan | Date |
|---|---|
| Original target | October 2026 |
| First delay | October 2027 |
| Current date | February 18, 2028 |
Who is in the cast?
Robert Pattinson returns as Bruce Wayne, with Andy Serkis as Alfred and Colin Farrell as the Penguin. Joining them are Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Jayme Lawson, Charles Dance, Gil Perez-Abraham and Sebastian Koch.
What the merger means for Batman
The pause came a day before Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery closed on October 6, creating Skydance. You can read about the deal itself here.
For DC fans, the key line came in the first memo from Skydance's new film co-chairs, Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein: "DC Studios, New Line Cinema and Paramount Primal will continue as distinct labels with specific mandates," and Warner Bros. films will keep their own logo. DC Studios co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran were invited to stay on, Puck reported.
The longtime Warner Bros. film chiefs, Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, are not part of the new company. Under them, Warner Bros. won 11 Oscars this year, including Best Picture for One Battle After Another.
Deadline's rundown of the Warner Bros. films now in Skydance's hands lists The Batman Part II as paused, alongside DC's Man of Tomorrow, James Gunn's Superman sequel, dated July 9, 2027.
What to watch
Filming wrapping. The studio's own description, "final weeks," suggests the shoot is close to done.
Reeves' return. The plan is for him to take over post-production. Any change to that would be the real news.
The date. February 18, 2028 has held through the pause. Watch whether it holds through post-production.
Published Sunday, October 18, 2026. Statements are from DC Studios, Steven Soderbergh and Matt Reeves, as reported by Deadline, Variety, Rolling Stone and Gizmodo. The nature of Reeves' family matter has not been made public.
