Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Brian Richards | DC Movies | October 16, 2026
Last week, it was announced that Matt Reeves, director/co-writer of the highly anticipated and repeatedly postponed The Batman Part II, would be temporarily stepping away from the film due to a personal family matter, and because of that, production would be put on hold for an indefinite period of time.
There were some people who were (and still are) empathetic and deeply understanding towards Reeves, hoping that everything truly works out for the best regarding him and his family. There were others who were upset and disappointed about The Batman Part II experiencing yet another delay, and who strongly felt that Reeves should either quit or be fired by Warner Bros. and DC Studios so that another director can bring it to the finish line, or just scrap the film altogether so that writer/director/DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn could finally introduce the DCU version of Batman (along with the Bat-Family) in The Brave and the Bold.
But yesterday brought some news regarding The Batman Part II, when it was announced that Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderbergh volunteered his services to help complete the film. He’ll be in the director’s chair for the rest of its production, which is apparently two-thirds complete, while Reeves will see the film through the rest of the way for post-production.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
Steven Soderbergh will be brought in to help complete principal photography, working with Reeves from a distance for the final months of production as it heads toward its Feb. 18, 2028 release date. Soderbergh, the director behind Ocean’s 11, Magic Mike and Traffic, approached Reeves with the offer of help.Reeves remains a more-than-respected colleague by those at Warner Bros. and DC, and is a producer behind this weekend’s Clayface and was a driving force on The Batman spinoff The Penguin for HBO. Indeed, the entire studio has coalesced around Reeves in this delicate moment. The plan is for Soderbergh to work in London, while Reeves operates out of Los Angeles and then would be more hands-on during the movie’s post-production in L.A. The film is said to be about two thirds done.
The news that one director would be taking over completion of a comic book film on behalf of another director who is unavailable due to personal family matters naturally reminded some people of when Zack Snyder stepped down from the film Justice League because of his daughter’s death by suicide, and Joss Whedon being hired to complete the film. It was an experience that was recently described by Ben Affleck on the Happy Sad Confused podcast as a low point in his career as he not only witnessed the horrible treatment that Snyder was dealing with from Warner Bros. who took advantage of him and his wife/producing partner Deborah Snyder while they were both dealing with unimaginable loss, but also because of Whedon’s abusive and unpleasant behavior on the Justice League set during reshoots, particularly towards cast members Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot, all of which deeply affected his mental health and sobriety, and which contributed to his decision to not go forward with his own version of The Batman that he would write, direct, and star in, leading to Warner Bros. hiring Reeves to direct and co-write the Batman film that opened in theaters in 2022.
Fortunately, any worries that Soderbergh would be another Whedon who would make things worse in every way possible were immediately put to rest.
“I thought Matt Reeves’ work on The Batman was stunning; it was intentional, specific, and rigorously coherent,” Soderbergh said in a statement. “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.”
Reeves also used his account on Twitter to set the record straight about Soderbergh’s involvement and his own, as well as show his appreciation to those who have expressed their concern for his well-being, and that of his family’s.
“Just to be clear, I am not leaving The Batman Part II. I am profoundly grateful to Steven for coming to my aid during this challenging time to help me finish principal photography. Thank you to all for your concern and well-wishes.”
The Batman Part II, starring Robert Pattinson, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Brian Tyree Henry, Charles Dance, Jayme Lawson, and Colin Farrell is currently scheduled to open in theaters February 18, 2028, though it remains to be seen if the pause in production will result in the need for Warner Bros. and DC Studios to once again change its release date.
