The WGA Strike is over, and while movies that need actors on set are still stalled due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, movies that still need scripts can see writers get back to work as of now. One of the most anticipated corners of Hollywood that’s still in early production is the newly rebooted DCU, So what is going on with DC’s flagship heroes, Superman and Batman, and their next big screen adventures?
Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2 release date had been announced for October 2025 in a post-pandemic and pre-writer’s strike world, while James Gunn’s Superman: Legacy is currently set to open in the summer of that same year. But in order for both movies to hit those dates, they’re going to need to be going into production soon. And that means they need completed scripts.
The State Of Superman: Legacy
The good news for Superman fans is that James Gunn had actually completed a script for Superman: Legacy prior to the writer’s strike. That rebooted Superman script was reportedly just a first draft, but now that the strike is over, Gunn can now dive into the editing process. And there’s still plenty of time for the screenplay to be ready to go ahead of a planned production start in the spring.
That production start will (obviously) require a resolved actors strike by, but there’s plenty of time for that to happen. And since several of the issues at hand in the writer’s strike are the same as those the actors are dealing with, there is now a template for a resolution that, at least in theory, could bring the actor’s strike to a close in the short term.
What’s Happening With Matt Reeves’ The Batman 2?
The state of The Batman 2 is a bit murkier at this point. Matt Reeves has discussed that he is currently at work on the Batman sequel script, and a recent Variety report indicates that a finished script is high on the priority list for Warner Bros., which makes it clear there isn’t one just yet. At one point production on The Batman 2 was expected to start as early as this November, but if there isn’t even a first draft of a script yet (and with the actor’s strike still ongoing) that seems unlikely.
The good news is that with The Batman 2 set to open three months after Superman: Legacy, there’s still time to get the movie in front of cameras, in order to get post-production done in time to hit the October date.
It won't be surprising to see one or both of the release dates pushed back if only because studios are going to have a lot of movies to schedule between all the films set to begin production alongside all the movies that saw productions halted due to the strikes. But considering how important Superman and Batman are to WB, we can expect these films won't be waiting any longer than absolutely necessary.
