Batman is definitely among the most frequently adapted fictional characters in history, with the hero’s back catalogue including everything from a kitsch 1960s TV show to dark and gritty movies and, of course, the neon and nipples of the Joel Schumacher era. But filmmakers continue to find fresh and exciting ways to approach the Caped Crusader and it looks like The Batman, coming to us from director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson, will continue that trend. Unfortunately, however, it’s going to be a long time before we see what they’ve put together.
Yes, in what marks another big setback for the film, Warner Bros. has now delayed it an additional 5 months. Originally set to be with us on October 1st, 2021, the blockbuster now won’t arrive until March 4th, 2022. No reason was given for the shift in release date, but you can imagine it has something to do with Pattinson testing positive for COVID-19 along with everything else going on in the industry right now.
The bad news doesn’t end there, though, as a number of other DC pics have been pushed back as well. As Deadline notes, Andy Muschietti’s The Flash is now set for November 4th, 2022 instead of June 3rd, 2022, while Shazam! 2 will be with us on June 2nd, 2023 rather than November 4th, 2022. And as for Black Adam, well, it’s been temporarily undated, meaning we don’t know when it’ll premiere. Though it’ll certainly be a long ways off at this point.
Clearly, this is a big blow for the DCEU and isn’t what fans want to hear. And with the way things are continuing to unfold in the world in regards to COVID-19 and the entertainment industry in particular, these might not even be the last time these films get delayed.
