The Batman: Part II finally begins filming in London after years of delays

Production has officially started on The Batman: Part II, with director Matt Reeves marking the occasion by sharing an image of the film's slate and the words 'Here We Go...', as reported by TheWrap. The understated announcement belied the significance of the moment for a project that has spent years in development limbo.

Filming kicked off in London on 12 June, with Robert Pattinson reprising the title role for Warner Bros. and DC Studios. The sequel is scheduled to reach cinemas on 1 October 2027, giving the studio a clear runway to position one of its most valuable properties at the heart of its release calendar.

The start of principal photography ends a prolonged period of uncertainty around the follow-up to a film that established a darker, more grounded vision of the character and built a devoted audience. For fans who have waited since the original, the rolling cameras represent the most tangible sign yet that the sequel is genuinely on its way.

A troubled road to the soundstage

The project endured a string of postponements, having previously eyed release dates in 2025 and 2026. Much of the slippage was attributed to the 2023 writers' strike, which delayed completion of the screenplay and pushed the entire timeline back by a significant margin. Each shifted date became a fresh occasion for speculation about the project's health.

Reeves has consistently emphasised his determination to get the script right rather than rush a sequel into production, a stance that frustrated some observers but reflected the creative care that distinguished the first film. The repeated date changes became a recurring talking point, fuelling rumours that the studio repeatedly sought to quell with reassurances that the delays were a matter of craft rather than crisis.

“Matt is committed to making the best film he possibly can, and no one can accurately guess exactly how long a script will take to write.”

— James Gunn, co-CEO, DC Studios

For Warner Bros., getting the cameras rolling is a significant milestone: the first film grossed strongly worldwide and the sequel is among the studio's most valuable franchise assets as it navigates a period of corporate upheaval. Stabilising and advancing its premier properties is central to the studio's strategy at a moment of intense scrutiny over its output and its corporate future.

Reeves's distinctive vision

The first film stood apart from the broader run of comic-book adaptations by leaning into detective-noir storytelling, a brooding visual palette and a more psychologically textured take on the character. That distinctive approach gave the franchise a clear identity, and expectations are high that the sequel will deepen rather than dilute it.

Notably, the franchise sits somewhat apart from the wider DC Studios universe being shaped by James Gunn and Peter Safran, operating as its own self-contained world. That separation affords Reeves creative latitude while raising questions about how the broader DC slate and this standalone vision will coexist over the long term. For now, the arrangement allows the filmmaker to pursue his interpretation without the constraints of a shared continuity.

• Filming began in London on 12 June for Warner Bros. and DC Studios
• Robert Pattinson returns in the title role under director Matt Reeves
• Release date set for 1 October 2027
• Earlier targeted release windows in 2025 and 2026 slipped, largely due to the 2023 writers' strike
• The franchise operates apart from the wider DC Studios universe
• Colin Farrell is among the cast expected to return as Oswald Cobblepot

Background: building out a world

Since the original film, the franchise has expanded through spin-off television, most notably a series centred on Farrell's transformation into Cobblepot, which earned strong reviews and broadened the world Reeves established on screen. That connective tissue has helped sustain audience engagement during the long wait for the feature sequel.

A film insider observed that maintaining momentum across years of delay is one of the hardest tasks in modern franchise management, making the ancillary projects and steady drip of news all the more important in keeping the property alive in the public imagination. The spin-off work has effectively bought the feature film time without letting interest fade.

What happens next

Colin Farrell is among the cast expected to return, reprising his transformation as Oswald Cobblepot following the character's acclaimed spin-off series. With production now under way and a firm release date in place, attention will turn to casting confirmations, plot details and the eventual marketing campaign. For Warner Bros., delivering a worthy sequel on schedule would mark a notable success at a turbulent juncture, and the industry will watch closely to see whether the long wait yields a film to match the original's impact and justify the studio's patience.