The Batman 2 Announced By Warner Bros. [CinemaCon 2022]

In a surprise to absolutely no one, Warner Bros. is going full steam ahead with a follow-up film to Matt Reeves' brilliantly brooding version of "The Batman." In the week leading up to the release of "The Batman," Reeves had already confirmed during red carpet interviews that he and Warner Bros. were in talks about a second movie in addition to the anticipated spin-off series for HBO Max centered on Colin Farrell's portrayal of The Penguin and Jeffrey Wright's James Gordon. 

The news was confirmed at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where Warner Bros. honcho Toby Emmerich confirmed that return of the creative team for the as-yet-untitled follow-up: "Matt [Reeves], [Robert] Pattinson, and the whole team will be taking audiences back to Gotham with The Batman 2."

Batman has always been the crown jewel of Warner Bros. DC Comics properties, so going all-in on the Caped Crusader is a smart play. The sequel and subsequent spin-offs would allow for Warner Bros. to develop their own Gotham Cinematic Universe separate from the DCEU, which currently canonically features Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne and incorporates the films commonly referred to as the Snyderverse. With Batfleck due to retire after "The Flash" with Michael Keaton anticipated to take over, a parallel universe of films and shows in Gotham City is the perfect way to keep fans happy.

Not to mention, "The Batman" features a surprise role (don't worry, I won't spoil it until the next section) that clearly sets up a sequel. There's no way that Reeves and Warner Bros. weren't anticipating follow-up films with this inclusion, and given the "Oh s***" response from just about everyone upon seeing it, another installment of "The Batman" will surely be welcomed. If you still haven't seen "The Batman," this is your final warning not to scroll any further because we're gonna dive into some major spoiler territory. 

Again, stop now if you haven't seen "The Batman" and want to avoid spoilers!

Toward the end of "The Batman," Paul Dano's version of the Riddler has been apprehended and thrown into (presumably) Arkham Asylum along with the rest of Gotham's iconic rogue's gallery. As poor ol' Riddleboy sees his master plan foiled before his very eyes on the news, he's consoled by someone in a nearby cell, played by Barry Keoghan and donning facial disfigurements. "One day you're on top, the next you're a clown. Well, let me tell you, there are worse things to be," he says. Cool, so either Barry Keoghan is the Joker and is going to join forces with Riddler to take down Battinson, or Reeves deserves an award for the world's greatest tease.

It was reported toward the end of 2021 that there were two endings of "The Batman," one featuring a mysterious cameo and one without. Now that we've got the ending featuring "Marvel's Eternals" and "Dunkirk" star Keoghan as "Unseen Arkham Prisoner," it's pretty clear that Warner Bros. is betting on Bat and pushing through with another face-off between the world's greatest detective and the clown prince of crime.

"The Batman" is currently playing in theaters everywhere.