Meet Dr. Arkham: The Chilling Role That Could Make Brad Pitt The Batman 2’s Ultimate Villain
Brad Pitt is rumored to square off with Robert Pattinson in The Batman 2, eyed for Dr. Arkham as the sequel’s big bad, while buzz also links Scarlett Johansson to the project.
Rumor mill time: after that recent chatter about Scarlett Johansson circling The Batman 2, the latest name getting tossed around is Brad Pitt. Supposedly he could be playing opposite Robert Pattinson as the sequel's big bad. Nothing signed, nothing sealed, but the whispers are loud enough to pay attention.
Where the rumor is coming from (and why the timing actually works)
World of Reel is floating the idea that Pitt is being eyed for Dr. Amadeus Arkham, who, per the same scuttlebutt, would be the main antagonist. That squares with something Matt Reeves said a while back about the sequel's villain being a fresh one for the big screen.
"never really been done in a movie before"
On the logistical side: Pitt is set to shoot Edward Berger's The Riders in January 2026. The Batman 2 is targeting a May 2026 production start. If these dates hold, his calendar lines up. He is also busy with that Apple-backed F1 movie, but even with that in the mix, the window looks feasible.
So... who is Dr. Arkham, and why would Reeves want him?
Quick primer: Dr. Amadeus Arkham is the psychiatrist who founded Arkham Asylum. Unlike a lot of Gotham villains, he does not have superpowers, and he is not a cackling evil scientist. He starts out trying to help the worst of Gotham, genuinely believing they can be treated. The tragedy is that the asylum's history and the city's endless cycle of madness push him over the edge. His obsession with "purifying" the place curdles into villainy. Comics often play his breakdown as a mirror for Arkham Asylum itself, and some runs even suggest mental illness threads through the Arkham bloodline.
That last part ties directly into Reeves' world. In The Batman, we learn Martha Arkham had a history of mental illness, and Thomas Wayne tried to bury it. If the sequel brings in Amadeus Arkham, you can see the pieces clicking together: the Arkham name, the family baggage, and Bruce caught in the middle of someone else's legacy unraveling. Tonally, it is a clean fit for Reeves' rain-soaked noir Gotham.
The cast this could stack up
- Brad Pitt as Dr. Amadeus Arkham (rumored, not confirmed)
- Scarlett Johansson (also rumored to be in the mix)
- Robert Pattinson returning as Bruce Wayne/Batman
- Jeffrey Wright back as Jim Gordon
- Barry Keoghan as the Joker
- Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth
If even half of that sticks, The Batman 2 could be angling for one of the beefier ensembles in a Bat sequel since The Dark Knight. Big 'if', but you get the idea.
What to watch for next
Production is currently aimed at May 2026, with The Batman 2 dated for October 1, 2027 in the U.S. If the studio is really rolling cameras next year, we should start hearing confirmations sooner rather than later.
Would you want Pitt as Dr. Arkham? I can see it. The guy does haunted convincingly, and this role needs haunted more than it needs ham.