All involved are being pretty careful here to make it clear that this is still Reeves’ movie, and that Soderbergh—described as a “longtime admirer of Reeves’ work”—is simply pinch-hitting, and will be communicating closely with the writer-director to ensure that the completed film matches his vision. (Nobody, presumably, wants to get engulfed in the kind of drama that overtook Zack Snyder’s Justice League a few years back, after he left that project amidst a family tragedy.)
DC Studios and Soderbergh both issued statements on Thursday acknowledging that the Black Bag director (whose wide-ranging genre-roaming tendencies have so far managed to miss the superhero boom) is simply a happy helper on this project. “As Matt Reeves continues to attend to an ongoing family matter,” the DC Studios statement reads, “Steven Soderbergh, as an admirer of Matt’s work, approached Matt and will step in, with the full support of DC Studios, to help the writer-director complete the final weeks of principal photography on The Batman Part 2. Matt and Steven will work closely together with the actors and crew to fulfill Matt’s vision of the film.” Soderbergh, meanwhile, opened with a compliment, saying, “I thought Matt Reeves’ work on The Batman was stunning; it was intentional, specific, and rigorously coherent. 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.”
Principal photography for The Batman: Part II began in London back in June; it’s not clear how much work remains on that initial shoot. DC Studios has stated that Reeves will return to finish the movie in its post-production phase, ahead of a still-holding February 2028 release date.
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