Steven Soderbergh will help complete principal photography on The Batman Part II as Matt Reeves handles a sensitive family matter. Reeves will remain involved remotely while Soderbergh oversees the final months of filming.
The production is preparing to resume filming, with roughly two-thirds of the movie reportedly complete. Warner Bros. and DC still plan to release the film on Feb. 18, 2028.
Reeves Remains Involved
Reeves, who joined The Batman as director in 2017, will work from Los Angeles while Soderbergh films in London. The plan calls for Reeves to take a more hands-on role during post-production in L.A.
“Just to be clear, I am not leaving The Batman Part II. I am profoundly grateful to Steven for coming to my aid during this challenging time to help me finish principal photography. Thank you to all for your concern and well wishes,” Reeves wrote on X after the news broke Thursday.
Warner Bros. and DC have rallied around Reeves during this period. He also serves as a producer on this weekend’s Clayface and helped drive HBO’s The Batman spinoff, The Penguin.
Soderbergh Offers His Support
Soderbergh approached Reeves with an offer to help finish the shoot. The filmmaker’s credits include Ocean’s 11, Magic Mike and Traffic.
“I thought Matt Reeves’ work on The Batman was stunning; it was intentional, specific, and rigorously coherent,” Soderbergh said in a statement. “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.”
Earlier DC Films Faced Director Changes
Warner Bros. and DC have navigated unexpected directing changes before. Nine years ago, Joss Whedon replaced Zack Snyder during production of 2017’s Justice League, as Snyder faced a family tragedy and a loss of studio confidence.
Richard Donner also lost his directing role on 1980’s Superman II. He had shot part of the sequel while making the first Superman, but the production fired him and brought in Richard Lester.
For The Batman Part II, Reeves remains involved as Soderbergh helps complete filming. Robert Pattinson returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan joining the franchise.
