Production on The Batman Part II has been temporarily halted after director Matt Reeves stepped away to handle a family matter, Warner Bros. and DC Studios said Monday.
The studio said the pause is temporary and confirmed that Reeves has its full support. Production is expected to resume soon.
The sequel was being filmed in London when production was interrupted. The movie is currently scheduled for release on February 18, 2028, although it remains unclear whether the pause will affect the release date, according to Deadline.
The production halt is the latest setback for the highly anticipated sequel. Warner Bros. initially scheduled the film for October 2, 2026, before moving it to October 1, 2027. The release was later pushed back again to February 2028.
Reeves directed the first The Batman, which was released in March 2022. Robert Pattinson will return as Batman, alongside Andy Serkis as Alfred, Colin Farrell as the Penguin and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon in Batman part II.
The sequel will also feature several new cast members, including Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Jayme Lawson, Charles Dance, Gil Perez-Abraham and Sebastian Koch.
DC Studios co-chief James Gunn previously defended the lengthy wait for the sequel, saying on Threads that major film franchises have often taken several years between installments. He cited films from the Alien, The Incredibles, Terminator, Avatar and Top Gun franchises, as well as his own Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
Pattinson has also hinted that the Batman part II will differ significantly from the first film. In an interview with Collider, he described the movie as highly ambitious and called it “a real left turn,” while saying it would retain elements of the original film’s tone and atmosphere.