James Gunn Defends ‘The Batman II’ Delay: “A 5 Year Gap Or More Is Fairly Common”

As you might imagine, there was quite a bit of disappointment when it was announced that Warner Bros. had pushed the release date for Matt Reeves’ “The Batman” sequel from October 2026 to October 2027. Fans were already bummed that it was taking a while for the sequel, but now, a whole other year is going to pass. But according to James Gunn, this is just how it’s done. 

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In a recent Threads post—which Gunn loves to do—the filmmaker responded to fans saying they were upset that “The Batman” sequel got pushed a full year. For his defense, the DC co-CEO recalled other franchises that had a long wait time between sequels. 

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“To be fair, a 5 year gap or more is fairly common in sequels,” Gunn wrote. “7 years between ‘Alien’ and ‘Aliens.’ 14 years between ‘Incredibles.’ 7 years between the first two ‘Terminators.’ 13 years between ‘Avatars.’ 36 years between ‘Top Guns.’ And, of course, 6 years between ‘Guardians Vol 2’ and ‘Vol 3.’”

While Gunn is right that a five-year gap isn’t totally crazy to think about, he’s also forgetting that in 2024, fans are now used to only waiting two or three years between tentpole sequels, thanks in no small part to Marvel Studios. So, it’s understandable that fans are a bit surprised by a five-year wait. 

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That said, fans should cut the whole ‘The Batman’ team a bit of slack. Clearly, Reeves is taking his time on the script and not rushing anything. And if the film does begin production in the second half of 2025, that will give the project more than enough time in post-production. Plus, there’s the whole saying, “Good things come for those who wait.” 

As of now, “The Batman” sequel, which is still untitled, is expected to arrive on October 1, 2027.