‘The Batman Part II’: Steven Soderbergh to Work with Matt Reeves to Complete Filming

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The Batman Part II is preparing to return to filming under difficult and unusual circumstances.

Matt Reeves, the top tier filmmaker who has guided the franchise since being hired to direct The Batman in 2017, will not return to the set as he continues to deal with a sensitive family matter.

Instead, Steven Soderbergh will be brought in to complete principal photography, working with Soderbergh from a distance for the final weeks of production as it heads toward its Feb. 18, 2028 release date. Soderbergh, the director behind Ocean’s 11, Magic Mike and Traffic, is said to have approached Reeves with the idea.

“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 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.

This isn’t the first time DC Studios, or parent Warner Bros., has seen an unexpected director change in one of their movies. Nine years ago, filmmaker Zack Snyder, facing a personal family tragedy and the loss of confidence from the studio, was replaced by Joss Whedon during the making of 2017’s Justice League.

DC character Superman faced his own director tumult when Richard Donner was fired from 1980’s Superman II after shooting part of the movie while making the first Superman. He was replaced by Richard Lester.

Robert Pattinson stars in The Batman Part II as Bruce Wayne/Batman, with new additions to the franchise including Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan.