Batman has defeated some of the greatest villains in pop culture history: Joker, Two-Face, Ra’s al Ghul. He shot Darkseid with a god gun. He even survived George Clooney. Yet, for whatever reason, the Robert Pattinson version of the Caped Crusader can’t seem to find a way to victory.According to Deadline, production on The Batman: Part II has paused as director Matt Reeves has stepped away to focus on a family matter. Obviously, the report doesn’t go into greater detail, to allow the Reeves family their privacy. But one thing is clear: the night has never been darker for this version of the Dark Knight.cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});Believe it or not, it’s been six years since The Batman hit screens, releasing to largely unanimous praise from audiences and critics. Immediately, Warner Bros. green lit a sequel, once again starring Pattinson as an emo Bruce Wayne early in his career as Batman, alongside Jeffrey Wright as police Lieutenant James Gordon, and Andy Serkis as a more combat-grizzled version of Alfred. Originally, Warner Bros. planned to release the movie on October 3, 2025. Then it was pushed back to October 2, 2026. And then October 1, 2027. And then to February 18, 2028, where it stands… at least of this writing.As crazy as it is to lay all those delays out, a lot has happened over these past few years. Since The Batman: Part II went into pre-production, the actors and writers went on strike, DC Studios was formed under co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, and now Warner Bros. has been sold to Paramount and will be rechristened Skydance under the ownership of David Ellison.Furthermore, the world has expanded, as the miniseries The Penguin released on HBO Max in 2024, and Reeves has a producing credit on the animated series Batman: Caped Crusader (which does not take place in the world of The Batman, but has some tonal similarities).Yet, Reeves himself has admitted that he’s taking his time making the movie. Thus far, Gunn has been nothing but supportive of the process, assuring fans that The Batman movies take place in their own universe, disconnected from the rest of the DCU, and that Reeves can take his time to get the movie right. Moreover, the mainline DCU has its own Batman movie in the work, The Brave and the Bold, slated to be directed by Andy Muschietti.All of that said, the timing of Reeves’s announcement is curious. After much litigation and negotiation, the sale of Warner Bros. to Paramount is set to close tomorrow, October 6. Beyond the loss of two historic Hollywood studios and the opportunity for more variety in productions, the Warner Bros. sale rankles audiences because of CEO David Ellison’s political positions, particularly his ties to President Donald Trump. Even if spokespeople are insisting that his relationship to Trump is “overstated,” Ellison’s position and his ownership over two studios has worried some creatives.Again, Reeves has not said anything specific about his reasons for stepping away, and this just may be one more delay in The Batman: Part II‘s process. Were it any other movie, we would say that The Batman: Part II will never see the screen. But this isn’t just any movie. This is Batman, and Batman has overcome worse.The Batman: Part II is slated to release on February 18, 2028. For now.The post The Batman: Part II Can’t Seem to Catch a Break appeared first on Den of Geek.