The Batman Director Matt Reeves Still Plans on Making a Trilogy

The Batman was a major hit for Warner Bros. back in 2022, making it an inevitability that the newest take on the title character would see its narrative continue. And, come September 19, it will get its first follow-up via The Penguin on Max. But, what about The Batman – Part II? Unfortunately, fans have some time still to wait, as director Matt Reeves‘ sequel isn’t set for release until October 2, 2026. But, fear not, as Reeves recently sat down with Collider to discuss The Penguin, which he executive produces, and shed some light on his future plans for the franchise, revealing that The Batman – Part II will not be the end. Speaking to Collider, Reeves “confidently” declared that making a trilogy is “still the plan.”

The filmmaker has been open about his intentions to make a trilogy even before the 2022 movie opened and there have only been a few slight alterations as time has passed, primarily due to the idea of creating a Penguin miniseries. In the director’s words:

“I mean, it’s sticking very closely to the path we envisioned. Things kind of shifted. So, when we came up with the idea to do The Penguin, that was something where I had always intended to continue Penguin’s story, and wanted to tell this story of his beginning of rise to power. Because we know that he’s introduced in The Batman as a kind of mid-level, sort of overlooked, mocked figure, who’s not yet in anyone’s eyes the kingpin we come to know him as in the lore. And so, that was deliberate because I wanted — whereas it wasn’t Batman’s origin story, I wanted the origin stories of these other characters, of the Rogues Gallery and that story was originally going to be the entrée into the next movie.”

The Batman Franchise Expands With The Penguin HBO Series

The Batman fans should be pleased to hear that Reeves’ idea of where to take Batman and the Rogues Gallery hasn’t shifted so much despite so much time passing. If anything, The Penguin will allow The Batman – Part II to not feel overstuffed. A filmmaker having a concrete idea of what to do with an IP, and sticking to it, often results in the best projects, and it seems The Batman franchise will likely benefit from the expansions and the wait. Though, of course, time will tell where the director’s concept of Gotham and its inhabitants leads, it’s now safe to assume that Reeves and Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight will be around and answering the call of the Bat-Signal for some time to come.

Described as the “next chapter in The Batman saga,” The Penguin follows Oz Cobb’s quest for power and control in Gotham City. Created by Lauren LeFranc, the series stars Colin Farrell as Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, reprising his role from The Batman. The rest of the cast includes Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Mark Strong, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown.