Why DC's Bold 5-Year Batman Hiatus May Change Superhero Movies Forever

Well, DC fans—just in case you haven't already run out of patience—the wait for The Batman: Part II just got even longer. Warner Bros. has once again kicked the release date down the road, and if you’re keeping track (or, honestly, even if you gave up), the sequel’s now set to hit theaters in October 2027. Yes, you read that right: 2027. At this rate, we might as well be watching Batman in space suits.

Batman Sequels—Historically Quick Turnarounds

Here’s some quick movie trivia for you: for the last 35 years, Batman movies have never made fans cool their heels for more than four years between mainline entries. Tim Burton’s Batman kicked things off in 1989, followed three years later by Batman Returns. Then it was 1995’s Batman Forever (another 3-year gap) and Batman & Robin in 1997 (only 2 years—well, maybe they should have waited longer on that one).

Jump forward to the Christopher Nolan era: Batman Begins (2005) to The Dark Knight (2008)—3 years there. And while The Dark Knight Rises (2012) made people wait 4 years, that’s still nowhere near the current 5-year plus gap.

The Delays—A Perfect (Bat)Storm

So why the holdup this time? It’s a combination of bad luck, bad timing, and, well, just 'not having a script', to quote James Gunn, who went on Threads in 2024 and more or less confirmed what was happening: Warner Bros. was sitting on their hands because the screenplay wasn’t finished.

Here’s how everything broke down:

• Original Plan: The Batman: Part II was supposed to come out in October 2025—which actually felt optimistic.
• Strike One: Thanks to the massive Hollywood strikes in 2023, everything froze, including any progress Matt Reeves (the director) was making on the sequel script.
• Strike Two: Once the strikes ended, things... still didn’t progress fast. Warner Bros. moved the date to 2026, and then somebody must have checked the calendar (or the script’s lack thereof) and punted again—this time to 2027.
• Life Happens: Matt Reeves later told Deadline that he's had a ‘lot going on’ personally over the past year. Reading between the lines, this probably slowed things even further.
• Final Roadblock: According to Gunn, once that elusive script is finally locked in, the actual movie-making part will take about two years to get through pre-production, filming, and post. So, yeah, 2027 is probably realistic at this point.

Will Anyone Still Care in 2027?

Here’s the thing: Fans have every right to be frustrated, but let’s be real—the first Pattinson outing in 2022 was a legit hit. It pulled strong reviews (still sitting around 7.8/10 on IMDb and 85% on Rotten Tomatoes), and plenty of folks still call it one of the best Batman films. Reeves and company are now under heavy pressure to actually deliver on all that hype. Given how many comic book movies have crashed and burned lately, there's a lot riding on this sequel being more than just 'okay after a long wait.'

Personally? Sure, waiting five years between hero appearances is rough. But if taking more time means avoiding rushed scripts and lazy sequels, I’ll hold off on lighting the Bat-Signal in protest.

'The only reason for the delay is there isn’t a full script,' James Gunn said. In other words: No script, no Batman.

The Stats

Here’s a quick refresher on the current Batman setup:

• Movie: The Batman
• Director: Matt Reeves
• Release Date: March 4, 2022
• Passed Sequel Gaps (for comparison): never more than 4 years, until now
• Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
• IMDb: 7.8/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
• Next Sequel Release: October 1, 2027 (USA)

So, are you still onboard with Pattinson’s moody Batman when he finally returns, or will you have moved on to the next reboot by 2027? Because, let’s face it—at the rate DC retools things, nothing’s set in stone.