Update: The Batman 2 has been confirmed by Matt Reeves and Warner Bros. at CinemaCon.
This week in Las Vegas, the annual CinemaCon convention is being held, with theater owners from around the country and the world coming together to celebrate the magical experience that is moviegoing. It's an event when studio executives, filmmakers and performers take the stage in The Colosseum at Caesar's Palace and try to articulate just what it is that makes cinema so special.
This morning, director Matt Reeves did a wonderful job accomplishing this – appearing as the first speaker during the State of the Industry presentation – and not only did he share an authentic, personal love for the big screen in his speech, but he also offered a delicious tease for an official announcement that may be coming in just a few hours: a sequel to his new hit film, The Batman.
In his brief remarks, Matt Reeves expressed pride in the fact that his latest movie has been a huge success playing in theaters, and that it is presently the biggest film to be released thus far in 2022. He has a personal love for the industry that he has felt his entire life, and he expressed the sentiment with a lovely description of what it's like to be sitting in a dark cinema watching a great film. Said Reeves,
As a lifelong, passionate fan of the movies, I treasure what you do and what you bring to people around the world. At the movies, there's a sanctuary to be found – sitting in the theaters, the lights slowly go down. What we do takes audiences to places of wonder, on journeys of discovery, of illumination, and that reminds us that we're all connected.
Continuing, Matt Reeves added that he will continue to do what he can to best support the theatrical experience. He acknowledged that movie-making is a collaborative effort that requires the efforts of hundreds of people, and he believes that the final product is meant to be seen in a specific way:
That light, that experience, that community we created together, I'm here with you, and I will continue to do what I do to work to secure the future of the theatrical experience – to put my best out there in the light, on your big screens, showing my work and the innumerable hours of hundreds of others as it was meant to be seen: in your theaters.
It was at the very end of Matt Reeves' speech that the filmmaker hinted at what is potentially to come from the success of The Batman – which, to date, has made over $750 million worldwide. Segueing to the next segment of the State of the Industry presentation, the director concluded by introducing Jeff Goldstein, the President of Domestic Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, and (with what felt like very knowing pauses) he commented that he looks forward to working alongside the executive again in the future. Said Reeves,
It gives me great pleasure to introduce a trusted collaborator colleague and friend, a man who helped guide the release of The Batman to success and someone whom I look forward to working with again. Please welcome Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures.
Matt Reeves has been talking about the idea of making more Batman movies for a long time (such as offering teases about what to expect from Barry Keoghan's The Joker), but Warner Bros. has not officially given the green light to a sequel just yet – despite the phenomenal box office success of Reeves' feature and the critical response to the superhero film. That's very likely going to change very soon.
The studio will be hosting its very own CinemaCon presentation later this afternoon, and it's highly expected that The Batman 2 will be announced with Matt Reeves attached to direct. It's possible that we may also get extra information, like a title and a release date, but as of right now that has not been confirmed. At the very least, we already know that the film will be coming together within the next five years.
The Warner Bros. presentation is scheduled to run between 4:00pm and 6:00pm PST today in Las Vegas, so stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for all of the breaking news and our coverage of all the footage that is shown.
And if you just can't get enough of The Batman, the movie is now not only still playing in theaters around the world, but it is also available to stream on HBO Max. (It's evidently so popular that it is already breaking records.)
