Matt Reeves Talks THE BATMAN PART II Storyline and Why the Dark Knight Is Struggling in the Wake of the First Film

Fans are looking forward to The Batman Part II, the second chapter of director Matt Reeves’s dark and gritty tale of Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) as he plays vigilante detective to the dark underbelly of Gotham.

The first film, The Batman, ended with the classic nemesis the Riddler taking explosive revenge on the city, bringing forth a biblical-like flood.

In a sit down with Digital Spy, Reeves detailed how the upcoming sequel will see the Dark Knight struggle in the wake of Riddler’s destruction.

The director revealed cinema-goers can expect to see the beloved DC vigilante wrestling with his views on justice in The Batman Part II as he reflects on the rights and wrongs in society.

"There's a lot of unrest and there's a lot of clamoring because of the revelations of what we find out at the end of the [first] movie. There's unrest in the streets to say, 'Well, how could this be?'.

“The idea that this corruption extends as deep as it extends. In the first movie, Batman views things very simplistically, he sees things in black and white. What he can represent and how he can affect that."

He went on to tease: "As we enter into the next movie, there's a lot more grey. There's a lot more people at odds. There’s a lot more division in the city. It's a lot more like our world is now, there's a lot of turmoil because people are in their camps and they're not communicating.

“How does Batman fit into that? Where do you fit? It's not as clear as going, 'Oh yeah, bad guy, I go after bad guys'. And when things are in grey, it makes it very hard to be Batman, so this is part of the challenge as we enter it."

Reeves went on to explain how the chaos brewing on the streets of Gotham in HBO’s The Penguin will also "build into the conflict" in the next film. The director previously explained why Batman didn't intervene in The Penguin, despite the show being set directly after the events of the first film.

“[Batman’s] out there trying to grapple with the aftermath of everything that happened, which to some degree he blames himself for," he said.

I can’t wait to see what happens in the next movie. Reeves and Pattinson have joined together to make a very compelling story, and it sounds like Batman isn’t done bringing us some great action and storytelling.

The Batman Part II is slated to hit theaters on October 2, 2026.